Running From Sunrise, Chasing the Moon
by Saya-Sama
Summary: He has always been happy with his master, but now he finds himself conflicted. He is running from what he cannot avoid, chasing what he cannot catch. His Sun and Moon. TykiAllen CrossAllen AU permanent Hiatus
1. Secrets

**Hello, this story has been on dA and LJ for a while, but because of Saya wanting to be a little backwards, it's showing up here last. (A.k.a., the kind people on dA and LJ pointed out flaws and whatnot, and Saya fixed them up so you guys get the finished result.) This is a Cross/Allen + Tyki/Allen fic. It's got some explicit stuff pretty early on. If you don't like the pairings, Saya warns you now that you probably wont like this fic much. Also, this is an AU story, same time period as the manga, but there's no Millennium Earl, no Black Order, no Akuma, just the charas. Sorry for the long A/N.**

**Disclaimer: Saya doesn't own the actors, just the script they're acting to.**

**Warnings: Rated M for sexual material en masse, and pedophilia, considering how both Cross and Tyki are much older than Allen.**

1. Secrets

He was a dapper young man, in his midtwenties, mocha skin and abnormal yet alluring golden eyes. He was tall, well built, and his clothes were tailor-made for him. Though they weren't flamboyant, anyone could see they were of the highest quality. Lord Tyki Mikk, age 26, of the Mikk Earldom, walked down the main street with the utmost confidence.

Some would say that it was dangerous for a well-known, rich, man from a noble family to be walking around alone, but it was not so for Tyki Mikk. He was well-known because he helped find jobs for the unemployed with fair wages. Some would assume he was just exploiting the lower classes to help fuel the economy, and on some level that was true. But Tyki's honest goal was to help the people who lived on the streets. Everyone knew him, most respected him, and as he walked down the street, he was met with familiar greetings.

"Hello, Lord Tyki! I've got that order you asked for. I wasn't expecting you to come in person to pick them up!" Tyki had just come to the door of a local cobbler who made very high quality shoes at a very convenient price. Tyki wasn't fond of grandeur, showy, overlyexpensive things, he'd always held a preference for practical things of good quality.

"Don't I always come in person, though? I don't get out often enough as it is, I'll take any excuse to walk around the city," Tyki replied with a smile, he really was a peopleperson, but business often had him holed up in his estate for days and weeks.

"That you do. It's always unusual to see a man of your status acting as you do, it's rather refreshing, actually."

"Thank you." From there, their conversation took its usual path, with each of them asking about business or the family, and all those usual things that acquaintances talk about. However, there was a disturbance nearby that was steadily getting louder. Tyki tried his hardest to ignore it, because it wasn't his business, but in the end curiosity got the better of him and he looked around to find the source of the disturbance.

"What is that?" it looked like there might be a scuffle nearby but everyone was just going about their business like nothing was happening.

"Oh, it's probably just the Walker boy, in trouble as usual..."

"Is he a delinquent or something?"

"No, no, he's a good enough kid, he's Lord Marian's assistant, and head butler of the Marian household. He often comes down here to run errands for Lord Marian during the mornings, but he tends to attract a lot of ... unwanted attention." Tyki tilted his head to the side; "unwanted attention" could mean quite a few things really. The shop owner understood his confusion and continued his explanation.

"The boy's got looks that make women swoon with adoration and seethe with jealousy at the same time. While most people are civil with him, there are plenty of ruffians and street rats who love to give him a hard time."

"It doesn't seem like any one's helping him..." the people of this part of town were generally nice people; they didn't seem like the types who would just ignore it when a boy was being solicited.

"No one needs to, he's a real fighter. The first few times we tried to help him, it was too late, and he'd knocked the sense out of anyone who came near him, confusing them for his attackers...."

"I see..." Tyki, deciding the situation was taken care of, pushed it out of his mind. The two chattered for a while longer, before Tyki decided he had disrupted business long enough and left. As he left, the ruckus came to a sudden stop, and something about that irked Tyki. Though he intended to go home, his feet had other plans, and soon enough, he was facing the mouth of an alley.

A rather full alley, at that. Pinned to the wall, surrounded by five rather large men, stood a worn out boy child with silvery blond hair, that Tyki immediately decided must be the Walker boy the cobbler had spoken of. Though Tyki didn't have a clear look at the boy's face, the child seemed very tired, and he guessed the five had tired him out fighting; the boy could be as great a fighter as he wanted to be, but when so slight a person takes on five people of such considerable size, there's only so much one can do before they inevitably lose. Tyki thought it was despicable that these men would fight a young boy with such a disadvantage, it was pathetic.

"Hehe, little Walker got himself a name and a job, and now he's too good for the other street rats. We should remind him of what he is, eh boys?" The five leered at the boy, who just looked to the side with an air of disinterest. It was an almost snooty gesture, not something someone in his position had any right to.

"Excuse me, kind sirs, but would you mind letting the boy go? I'm sure his master would appreciate his getting home on time," Tyki said, stepping farther into the alley, his sense of justice would not allow him to stand and watch any longer.

"Shut yer mouth! Just leave, this ain't none of your business."

"Yes, well, I'm choosing to make it my business," Tyki stated, with an aura of confidence that gave away the fact that he had something up his sleeve.

"Listen you, pansy gentlemen like you should just stay outta the allies," The one (who was apparently their leader) said, as he pulled out a pocket knife of medium quality, probably stolen, and pointed it in Tyki's direction, and obvious threat to the other man to back off or else. Tyki, however, was unfazed. Instead of looking frightened, he brought forward his cane (more of a status symbol, rather than a necessity), holding both ends in his hands. He then pulled the handle away from the rest, allowing the dim light of the alley to glint off the steel that was showing. Yes, Lord Tyki Mikk, everyone's model for the perfect gentleman, never went anywhere unarmed. He rather liked having that sort of power in his hands, the power of life and death. He trusted the people he lived around, but security was nice too.

"Well then, this pansy gentleman will leave with the boy."

"Why you..." the man ran toward Tyki, prepared to inflict some fatal wound or other, but was quickly and soundly beaten by Tyki, who did nothing more than hold his cane parallel to the ground; when the Man came within range, he ran right into the end of it, and was hit right between the eyes. He fell back, out cold, his own force had been his undoing.

"I'd prefer not to dirty my hands gentlemen, so, if you please..." The other four, having watched their leader get beaten so simply, lost their courage and nearly threw the boy at Tyki, running out of the alley while he focused on not letting the other fall.

"You alright kid?" Tyki asked, taking his hands away from the boy once he was balanced. The child looked up at him with wide, surprised eyes. That was all Tyki saw for a moment, those large, gray-blue eyes framed by long, silver lashes. As his vision expanded, he saw the boy's face, pale, with some still childish characteristics, and very beautiful. His hair was a little long, a soft platinum blonde that looked almost white, and just brushed his shoulders. A jagged scar ran down his face, one that made Tyki wonder, but he wouldn't ask a stranger about something that would undoubtedly be personal.

"Yes, thank you," The child said, giving Tyki a look that clearly said he'd fight him off if need be. However, all Tyki saw was that, yes, this boy did indeed possess a beauty that could rival any woman of nobility's.

"Well, it's dangerous for a young boy to be walking these streets alone, would you like a ride back to the Marion Manor?" Tyki asked, the boy just gave him a skeptical look. Tyki took a minute to think of what he was doing wrong, not realizing that it was just in the child's nature to distrust strangers.

"Oh, yes, forgive my manners! I'm sir Tyki Mikk, of the Mikk Earldom, you who might you be?"

"Uh...I'm Allen Walker, I'm Master Cross' personal assistant. It's an honor to meet your acquaintance," Allen said, bowing at the waist, his manners coming into the picture now that he knew he was dealing with a noble.

"Well, Allen, it would be my pleasure to escort you home."

"Thank you," Allen said, feeling it would be impolite to decline his invitation. Besides, it was getting late, that fight had wasted so much of his time that even if he ran he wouldn't be able to make it home in time on foot.

Tyki lead the way onto the streets, where he flagged down a carriage, asking the driver to take them to the Marion Manor first, then to his own estate.

Once comfortably seated in the carriage (which was quite impossible, but one never stops trying anyways...) silence reigned. Tyki searched his pockets for a pack of cigarettes, he always had a pack on him, it was one of his worst habits. "Do you mind if I smoke?" He asked Allen, deciding it would only be proper to ask his fellow passenger before lighting up.

"Not at all." Allen was used to smoke, his master was probably the heaviest smoker in London. Tyki lit up, taking a long drag on the cancer stick.

"So...I've heard about you...II mean what you've done..." Allen was horrible with silences between strangers, but unfortunately, he was just as bad at breaking them. Luckily, Tyki was quite the talkative person.

"Yes, well, it's nothing really. I'm in a position where I can help, so I figured I should try, at least."

Allen blinked, slightly surprised. Tyki's face had grown a bit soft, he seemed to be remembering something fond. Allen had half expected Tyki to have a God complex over it or something; Allen was used to stuffy nobles thinking they were the greatest thing to grace the planet.

"You're rather modest about it, but you've helped a lot of people get off the streets."

"I know the streets a little better that most would think." Allen tilted his head in confusion, silently asking Tyki to continue. Another drag on his cigarette later, Tyki continued.

"Want to know why? It's a secret though. When I was about 14 or so, I ran away from home for three years. I was so fed up with all the noble crap that I just had to get away, and to me, from my comfortable room where the worst thing that ever happened to me was getting scolded, the streets looked like the greatest freedom I could ever get. I didn't realize how hard it would be though, and I almost turned back after only a few weeks!

"Luckily, I was sort of taken in by these two other vagabonds, they were a few years older than me, but it all worked out. We traveled around doing odd jobs so we could make enough money to eat. Not soon after we joined together, we found a small child, hardly old enough to walk, and he was horribly ill. We added him to our group, brought him to a hospital, and when they'd treated him the best they could, we continued on, with our new edition. It took nearly four years for my family to track me down and almost two years later my uncle died heirless and I inherited his position as head of the house. Those years were hell on Earth, and I loved every minute of them."

"Oh...wow." Allen was surprised, Tyki honestly could say he knew something about street life, unlike so many nobles who think they know it all, just because they could look down from their high windows and see the little people scurrying about.

"Wait...why'd you tell me all that? I mean... you said it was a secret, and something like that would surely cause a scandal. Why trust a stranger?"

"What? We're not strangers! I know you're name, you know mine, and we've talked. We're not strangers."

"You have an odd definition of the strangers..."

"Fine, then tell me about yourself, make it even."

"Uh...ok...but I don't have anything to say that's nearly as interesting as your story."

"That's alright, I'm sure you have some fine stories."

Allen looked down at his lap for a moment, feeling a little embarrassed to be sitting in a carriage, swapping life stories with a stranger. Because in Allen's mind, just knowing someone's name did not make them an acquaintance.

"Well... I was kinda abandoned when I was really young... This man, Mana, adopted me. He was the head butler, and assistant at the Marian Manor, and I was allowed to stay there with him, and help him as he worked. I eventually learned all I needed to know in order to run the estate. Three years ago though... he died. Master Cross never officially appointed anyone to Mana's old position, but seeing as I was the only one who knew how to do his job... I just inherited his duties, in a way."

Tyki's eyes widened in surprise. "But you're so young, and yet you're running the estate? There must be quite a few people against it."

Allen shrugged, there were some who would love the chance to give him trouble, but he was on good grounds with most of the workers.

Soon, the carriage started to slow, and Allen looked out of the window to see that they were pulling up to the Marian Manor. "Well, this is my stop, it seems. Thank you again for the ride. Could you maybe do me a ...favor?"

"Depends, but probably yes."

"Could you...not tell anyone you met me? The Master would get very angry if he thought I was goofing off..."

"I see, in that case, I'll keep this a secret, and you keep my secret."

"Ok, thank you." Allen gave the older man a grateful smile, and the carriage came to a complete stop. The door was opened and the driver appeared to help Allen out. As Allen left, he looked back one more time. Tyki's eyes widened ever so slightly, Allen really was beautiful. His frosty blue eyes were half lidded in a most alluring way as he looked back from the corners of his eyes, and the makings of a smirk settles on his lips. For just one long second he looked back on Tyki, and then, all too soon, it was over, and he was rocketing towards the manor.

**And that's chapter one for you loves :3. Saya should say, even though it starts off this way, the next few chapters really focus more around the CrossxAllen relationship, and Tyki is just kinda waiting in the wings. **


	2. Wandering Eyes

**Heya! Saya cant think of much to say, so she figured she should at least be enthusiastic. ehe...**

**Disclaimer: Saya doesn't own the actors, just the script they're acting to.**

**Warnings: Rated M for sexual material en masse, and pedophilia, considering how both Cross and Tyki are much older than Allen.**

2. Wandering Eyes

Allen ran through the manor to reach Master Cross' chambers, where his master would most definitely be lazing about, if he was awake at all. It was the morning routine, every morning Allen got up, got rid of whatever girl Master had brought home the night before, and was always back a half hour before noon, so he could tend to the master, who would usually be suffering from a hang over by then. Allen could tell Cross not to drink so much until he was blue in the face, he could say that Cross should cut down on the partying, he could remind his master how bad all that alcohol was for his liver, but would Cross ever listen to him? Of course not.

When he reached the doors to the master's chambers, he stopped to take a deep breath and look at his watch.

'_One minute until 11:30, I'm just in time.'_

Once composed, he walked into the room, his eyes adjusting to the dim lighting. Scarlet curtains were pulled shut, sun light barely making its way through them, casting the room in a red glow. This was, of course, done to accommodate the master, who often awoke with headaches. Allen knew this room well, and though he still had trouble seeing, it didn't matter for he had this room perfectly memorized, he could find anything in it blindfolded. Allen walked over to the night stand and placed the tray he had in hand down. On it was a tonic for hang overs, he made it himself from his father's recipe, it was something he made Cross every morning; God knows the man needed it.

"Good morning, Master Cross," Allen said softly, but that was all he needed to do to wake his master up. Cross groaned as he rolled over, away from Allen, and grabbed the mask that was on the other night stand to put it on. Turning back, he gave Allen a weary look with his good eye. His other was hidden behind the crescent-shaped mask, one he never let anyone see beyond.

"You're horrible Allen, always waking me at this ungodly hour."

"Master, it's nearly noon, no one would consider this early." Cross ran his hand through his vermilion hair as he sat up, and then froze; his nose twitched.

"You smell," Cross observed, his nose twitching again. "Like smoke, and it's not my brand. Who were you with?" Allen blinked, he hadn't realized he smelled, but he should've figured he would, Tyki had been smoking the entire time he was with him, and they had been in a small, confined place together.

"I was just in London, the entire town smells of smoke, among other, miscellaneous things." Cross raised an eyebrow, not quite believing him. Technically, Allen wasn't lying. For one, he never actually denied being with anyone, and secondly, when Cross asked if he was "with" someone, he meant it in a much more intimate way than just sharing a carriage.

A hand came to rest on his cheek, and it slid down to take hold of his jaw, pulling his face forward until their lips touched. Soon more forced was applied, and the kiss was deepened, Cross was _tasting_ him, to be sure of what Allen had said, to be sure that the boy remained untouched by anyone other than himself. When he finally broke their kiss for air, Allen was already dizzy from lack of oxygen; he found the difference between their lung capacities to be quite a problem.

"I believe you," Cross said, and let Allen go, so he could ready his bath.

000

"Welcome Home, Master Tyki," Lavi, the head butler of the Mikk estate, said, bowing at the waist as they met at the door. When he looked up, he saw that his master had a contemplative look on his face, the kind that made it obvious that he was thinking of taking some impossible chance or other.

"Master...did something good happen?"

"Mhm. Say, would you mind getting me some coffee? I've got some thinking to do."

"All right sir." Lavi went off to fetch some coffee; he'd never get over how strange it was that Tyki always asked him if he'd do something for him, when, as his master, he could just order him to. That's why Lavi had taken this job, right? To serve his master with unwavering loyalty, and do everything his master wanted. Still, he couldn't deny that he liked the fact that he was addressed as an equal, even though their positions in the house were so different.

A few minutes later, Lavi met Tyki in his study, coffee in hand. He had a feeling something strange was going on in his master's mind.

"Say, Lavi, have I gotten any invitations recently?" A dumb question, he was practically flooded with them, and he knew it.

Lavi gave Tyki an inquiring look, his master wasn't one to go to parties on a whim, actually, he only went when he was obligated to. That was just another reason why Lavi enjoyed working under his master, because he was sensible and simple, and didn't care much for flamboyant things.

"Uh, yes, there's one at Lady Nyne's Summer home in two days, celebrating her daughter, Tina's, debut into high society. Shall I inform them you'll be attending?"

"Yes, thank you Lavi."

000

Allen walked through the halls of the manor, checking in on all the rooms that should have people working in them, to make sure everyone was doing their jobs. The manor practically ran itself, everyone worked diligently, and there were rarely any problems, in that respect. The servants were very good at keeping their personal dislikes and their work separate. It was rare to see anyone who was on the job fighting. Of course, after hours was a different story, but with so many different people under one roof, it simply couldn't be helped.

As Allen turned the corner to check on the laundry room, he wasn't all that surprised when he was "attacked" by a pile of clean clothes.

"Oh! Allen I'm so sorry! I couldn't see you over this pile..." Lenalee apologized, trying to look around the pile to see him. She held a basket, filled with neatly folded clothes that were piled high. Some had fallen to the floor, and Allen picked them up, taking more off of her pile, enough so that she could see over it.

"It's ok, Lenalee, I'll help you with this."

"But surely you're busy! I couldn't let you..."

Allen smiled, "It's ok, I'm just doing my rounds. I can help you bring these wherever they need to go and do that at the same time."

"If you say so..." Lenalee Lee was one of the younger workers in the manor; there were a surprising number of teenagers working there. They were of course, kept in check by all the older workers; as many teens as there were, those stuffy old folk were still the majority. Cross really didn't like them though, they always wanted him to work, and stop partying, and do things on time.

Lenalee was of Chinese decent, she had come to England when her older brother, Komui, had brought her here after their parents had died in a fire. He was a scientist, a genius really, who worked alongside the master, and together they worked on all sorts of unusual experiments. The two had studied together since they were teens, when a young Cross had happened upon the vagabond, who happened to share his interest in the sciences.

Because of this, Lenalee had lived in the manor nearly her whole life, and she cared deeply for its occupants. When she was old enough she decided she didn't want to be useless. Therefore she was now working as a maid when she could've been living much more comfortably because of her brother's position in the house. Allen was sort of glad that she had chosen to work though, because when he'd first come to the manor she had helped him out a great deal. The two had grown up together.

"So, why were you in such a rush today Allen? You were running around like a chicken with its head cut off when you got back." Lenalee was referring to how, when he'd returned to the manor, he'd run around like a bat out of hell to get everything he needed done out of the way before he had to wake the master.

"Ehe... I was accosted...again... and was held up quite a bit, I barely made it home in time to make the master's tonic and wake him. Honestly, he complains every morning about being woken up "early", but if I'm even a moment late, he'll have my head." Allen sighed, though he had nothing against being punctual, he thought it was a little ironic that someone who was the definition of "late" would be so angry when he wasn't on time. He was grateful that Tyki had offered him a ride home, even though he'd nearly gotten in trouble; it would've taken far too long for him to get home otherwise.

Lenalee smiled at Allen sympathetically. "Well, at least you have the master's favor. He trusts you explicitly, you practically run the estate! Even if you got into trouble, I doubt Master Cross would be too hard on you."

'_So I have "the master's favor", huh? Well, I suppose that's one way to put it. Of course, she doesn't know...'_

Not that Allen had a problem with having "the master's favor", a shameless part of his mind loved the attention, and he'd never dreamed that he'd be treated in such a way until it actually started. When Allen had first been brought to the manor by Mana, Cross had made his dislike of children clear as glass, but even so he'd allowed Allen to stay, for which Allen had been immediately grateful. Allen had made it his mission to work hard, so that he could change the Master's opinion of him, and make his new father proud.

But when Mana died, Allen was sure he'd be thrown out, because while Cross had allowed him to stay, it seemed as though his dislike for Allen had never gone away. He'd been all ready to leave; he had packed and was ready to be thrown back onto the streets. Then, one of the servants who had happened to be near Cross' chambers at the time, ran in, panicked and winded, telling him that Cross was angry as all hell because Allen had failed to wake him up on time. That was all that Allen needed to realize that Cross expected Allen to stay, and take Mana's place. Now Allen lived only to serve his master.

000

Lavi waited by the back wall of the ball room of the Nyne estate, watching as his master danced and chatted with the other nobles. He wasn't alone, far from it actually. It wasn't all that unusual for the nobles to bring their assistants with them, there were plenty of servants by the wall, just watching their master's for any sign that they might be needed. It was pretty boring, because most of the Lords' and Ladies' escorts were old and uptight. Lavi usually just watched Tyki, and stole food when he felt like it.

Soon after he had arrived, Lavi noticed a new presence at his side. Looking down, he saw a familiar boy who was _always_ at _every_ party. Poor Allen, Lavi felt so bad for the poor minor who was toted around everywhere by his drunkard of a master. No, Lavi didn't have the best opinion of Cross.

"Allen! It's been a while, huh?"

"Lavi, the last party your master attended was only 3 weeks ago," Allen said, smiling despite himself. Even though Tyki disliked parties, he was usually obligated to go to at least one a month, if not more.

"So? That's a very long time, I'll have you know."

"If you say so..." Allen sighed, as his eyes scanned the room for where Cross had wandered off to. Allen and Lavi were rather good friends, it was only natural that they would be. They were usually the youngest servants on the wall, and neither of them wanted to attempt to talk to one of the older butlers. The two had gotten along with each other right away, too. They saw each other often, thanks to Cross' partying habits and Tyki's many obligations.

"Why do we always get brought to parties like this all the time...? It's so tiring."

"Well, your master needs someone to lug his drunk ass home..." Lavi mumbled, hoping Allen hadn't really heard him. Allen tended to get defensive of his master, even though he had no problem complaining about the man himself. Even so, Lavi only had minimal respect for Cross, and it showed.

Allen had heard him, and as expected, he looked rather disgruntled, though he really couldn't say anything to contradict Lavi's statement. Lavi didn't want to get on the boy's bad side though, so he quickly tried to make amends.

"I'm just kiddin'. It's because bringing us around is sorta like a status symbol, you know? Like saying they have so many people working perfectly at their manor that they can bring some of them here. And, more importantly, it's 'cause they entrust themselves to us, in a way, yeah? I mean, they trust us to keep their homes in order, chose their workers, tie their shoes... So it makes sense that they'd trust us to get them home safely too."

Allen nodded. "Well, I suppose that's true. It's still tiring though."

"That could be because you take such care to always keep your eyes on Cross. Really, if I watched Lord Tyki so closely, I'd get tired too. Pull out a chair, sit down, relax a little. It's not like Cross is gonna notice if you take your eyes off of him for a second."

Allen blushed when Lavi pointed this out, but even so, he never took his eyes off Cross. He had to be alert, because he knew even the smallest thing could be a signal for Allen to get something for Cross, or a sign that they would be leaving soon. Of course, there were other reasons, more important ones, such as the master's jealousy. That was just another reason why Allen couldn't let his eyes wander.

Lavi and Allen continued their light banter for a while, but something was different. Allen's eyes were no longer following Cross. It was accidental, completely by chance, Tyki Mikk had waltzed (quite literally) into his field of vision. Allen's eyes latched onto his figure without his permission, following his movements. Tyki seemed to glow in that special way that only certain people ever could. He had an air of confidence, natural charisma, and a grace that one has to be born with. Tyki pulled it off better than most gifted in such ways could.

Lavi, who was for whatever reason watching Allen, noticed that he was no longer staring at his master, but that his gaze was following someone different across the floor.

"Whoa...Allen... You aren't looking at Cross... you know that, right? Which one of these lovely ladies caught your eye? She must be somethin'."

Allen, only now becoming aware of his folly, hastened to bring his gaze back to Cross, hoping that Lavi hadn't followed his line of vision, that would've been more embarrassing than actually getting caught staring at someone else in the first place. But oh, it was bad either way! Had he been so obvious? He'd be in so much trouble if he were caught looking at another.

"It was nothing, I just got distracted, is all." Why though? It's not like Tyki had never been at a party before, Allen was good friends with Lavi, that should be proof enough that he'd seen Tyki a number of times. He'd had one encounter with the man and now..! He was getting distracted, Allen Walker, the most focused one in the room, imagine! Why did he stick out so much more now? Why was he no longer just one of the other nobles? Maybe it was just curiosity?

"Man, whoever caught your eye sure is lucky!" Lavi said, slinging an arm around the younger boy's shoulders. Allen went stiff; oh, if Cross saw Lavi now, the red head wouldn't see tomorrow.

"Lavi... if you keep that up, we'll both be in trouble. And what are you talking about anyway, are you drunk?"

"I may have stolen a few glasses of wine, but that's not the point," Lavi said, as he removed his arm from Allen's person. "I mean you're smart, dependable, loyal, and cute! You'd be the perfect gal and yet you're a guy. Even worse you belong to someone else, a cryin' shame, really." Allen's face grew red, he really wasn't all that, and he most definitely didn't like being told he'd make the perfect girl. Still, Allen knew that Lavi was a little infatuated, he'd known for a while. He didn't understand why Lavi didn't just give it up and find some girl. Allen could never see Lavi that way, he was completely occupied with Cross. He'd only need to set Lavi straight a few times though, and the older boy didn't usually cause much trouble, because Lavi kept himself in check. Even when drunk, he still listened when Allen gave him a warning.

"If you say so Lavi..." Allen said, with a hint of exasperation in his voice.

"I do! And one day, when you can stand to take your eyes off of your master, I'll steal you away! And it'll all be better then." Allen didn't understand how that would make things "better"; he didn't think they were bad in the first place.

"You sure you only stole a few glasses of wine? Sheesh, and you talk about the master being a drunk," Allen teased. He stopped when he noticed that Cross was motioning for him to come over.

'_This isn't good.'_

**For the record, Lavi doesn't know about Cross and Allen's relationship, as far as he knows, Allen's simply overly-loyal to his master. **


	3. Amour et Jalousie

**Saya's so sorry...with this one chapter Saya will completely ruin the story, she's sure of it! She' so sorry she knows she's horrible! Oh why did she post this in the first place? Why didn't she change it? She's completely ruined it! RUINED IT! **

**For those of you not keen on reading failporn, when you get to the line "then it started", just stop reading this chapter. The last few paragraphs are safe too but you won't miss anything important. **

**Disclaimer: Saya doesn't own the actors, just the script they're acting to.**

**Warnings: Rated M for sexual material en masse, and pedophilia, considering how both Cross and Tyki are much older than Allen. This chapter is most definitely M...Saya's sorry that her porn skills are lacking...**

**3.** Amour et Jalousie

Allen walked away from Lavi's side and toward his master. As he did so he could feel anger radiating from Cross' being. The man had never bothered to hide his jealous ways from Allen, who had never minded them in the least. Actually, Allen liked the fact that he could inspire such emotions in a man who didn't usually care at all for his lovers. That didn't necessarily mean he liked pissing Cross off though, and he cringed at the thought, doing something to upset his master always made him feel so horrid, even when it wasn't his fault.

"You wanted me for something, Master?" Allen asked, as soon as he reached Cross. He was fairly certain about the reason he'd been called over.

"Why was the boy touching you?" Cross asked, using his "Hell will break loose if you don't have a good answer" tone. That tone made Allen fear for Lavi, Cross' wrath was nothing to make light of. Allen didn't know whether or not he should enjoy his master's possessiveness, but then again he was practically a possession anyway, so he supposed it didn't matter.

"I apologize. He's gotten a bit drunk, and a little bit out of hand. I quickly set him straight though, so please don't make too much of it." Allen decided to omit the part about Lavi's infatuation with him. Cross didn't_ need_ to know about it, and it was quite inconsequential anyway so he'd just be getting Cross hyped up over nothing.

Cross gave the situation a bit of thought, before deciding it was excusable. After all, he'd gotten drunk and made much bolder moves on plenty of women before, whether they were married, betrothed, or perfectly single. "All right, but make sure it doesn't happen again."

Allen nodded, and a wave of Cross' hand told him that he was dismissed. He wove his way through the crowd of dancing nobles and back to Lavi's side. As soon as he'd reached the wall, Lavi immediately apologized.

"Sorry Allen, it looks like I got you into trouble. But man, I don't see where Cross gets off being so possessive, I mean he's your employer, he doesn't own you mind, body, and soul!" Allen sighed at this, occasionally this topic would come up, and the conversation almost always ended in the same way. Lavi's feelings on the matter made sense, after all he had no idea about Allen's secret relationship with his master, he'd be surprised to hear that anyone knew about it; Who would've guessed that the infamous womanizer Cross' only steady lover was his assistant, who was a male and a minor?

"Yes, but he owns my home, he pays for the food I eat, buy pays for the clothes I wear (indirectly), he pays for the food I eat, he's my source of income, he pays for the food I-"

"I get it, I get it! He feeds you, sheesh! Glutton!" Allen blushed at the statement, but said nothing; he really was a glutton...

000

He hated it, how it was suddenly a conscious effort to keep his eyes on his master. Usually, Allen was blind to everyone else, they were all just undefined blurs of color that only served to make Cross seem better than he already did. He saw no one but Cross (though that had nothing to do with listening, for he always paid attention to Lavi's talking). But now, anytime that _one_ person waltzed into his sights, he had to stop his eyes from trailing after him.

_At this rate, I'm going to hell. Cross has done everything for me, he's my master and yet here I am looking at another man!_

To Allen, looking at another was the worst sin he could commit, and there he was, struggling with himself not to indulge in it. Why? Why should anyone else matter? How could one chance meeting mess everything up like this? Was he losing control of himself? Sure he was at an age where it was only natural for his eyes to wander but they didn't need to when the one person who could always satisfy him was right before him! It was ridiculous, he had his master, he needed nothing else!

000

Cross couldn't help but notice it all night. Usually, Allen looked at him and only him. Cross was almost hyper-aware of Allen's stare, and it made him feel even more superior than he already did to know that he held the young beauty's undivided attention. But now he could feel it every time Allen's eyes strayed, and it troubled him with jealousy. Who else was Allen seeing? Why was he no longer the only one? He had expected Allen to fix the problem himself, which is why he hadn't said anything earlier, and he was hoping he wouldn't have to point it out but... It seemed that just wasn't the case.

_Hm...perhaps it's my fault? No matter, I suppose tonight I won't be bringing anyone new home..._

000

"Master why must you always get so drunk? It's bad for your liver, your drinking yourself into an early grave!" Allen chastised as they seated themselves in the carriage that would take them home. It started moving a moment after the door was shut. The ride was a bumpy one, and it wasn't helping Cross' drunkenness one bit. The master drank like a fish and always paid for it later. Of course, his hangovers were nothing compared to what a normal person would get if they drank that much, hell a normal person probably would've gotten alcohol poisoning, but he enjoyed making Allen fuss over him. Of course, Allen had no problem complaining to him about his problem before his hang over...

"Oh, hush up Allen, I'm in no mood to be scolded by you!" Oh yes, it was obvious to Allen that Cross was angry over something. Allen, of course, was the guilty one in this case, and he knew it. Still, the fact that he's slipped up and upset his master made him all the more determined to take better care of Cross. That meant scolding Cross, even when he didn't want to be. Besides, Allen didn't need to be annoying to do that.

He turned on the seat toward his master, pulling his legs up under him. Allen allowed his sincere worry to shine through his usual professional mask that was no longer needed now that they were alone together.

"But Master... I just want you to take better care of yourself, because I know that you won't listen if I tell you to stop drinking. But I feel like I'm failing you every time I let you continue. All your bad habits are shortening your life and I-" Allen was silenced when Cross' lips pressed against his own. The taste of assorted alcohols were present on Cross' lips, but Allen was used to that by now. Actually, even though he'd never had a drop of liquor in his life, he could tell what Cross had been drinking that night by taste alone, he could even tell you the date, especially if it was a good year.

Allen almost let out a whimper when he felt the loss of pressure as Cross pulled away.

"Don't worry so much, you know I'll live forever."

"You really are drunk..."

"Just keep taking care of me and I'll be here as long as you need me." A rosy blush blossomed on Allen's cheeks. One of the positive things about Cross when he was drunk was that he would sometimes say things like that. Things that were more than a little out of character, but sweet in a way that showed just how much Cross depended on him.

"Which reminds me...we have something to discuss once we get inside." One of the negative things about Cross when he was drunk was that he could go from affectionate to pissed in the drop of a hat.

000

Allen took his usual spot by the side of his master's bed, as Cross sat on the edge, facing him. It was a familiar scene, something that they went through every time Allen got in trouble, or whenever Cross damn well pleased. And when Cross wanted something, then Allen wanted the same thing, because he wanted anything that would make his master happy.

"So, who was it that was so interesting at that party that you couldn't even keep your eyes on me?" Cross asked, wanting nothing more than a name. Allen knew that giving Cross a name would be enough to get someone into serious trouble though, Cross had a tendency to go overboard with his "just punishments".

"I'm sorry Master...My mind was simply elsewhere tonight."

"I know that, I'm asking where it was."

"N-nowhere in particular..."

"So you were looking all around tonight?" Cross asked, with a hint of teasing. He knew that was simply too ridiculous to believe, he was the one who was always looking at different women, Allen would probably stick to admiring one.

"No Master I didn't mean-"

"Perhaps...it's my fault? Have I been neglectful of you?"

"Never Master! It's my fault, I'm so sorry."

"Well, whoever's fault it was, you still committed the crime..." Cross said, and then it started. A hand that feathered over his face so gently in never ceased to amaze him, started at his cheek and trailed down to his jaw, pulling Allen closer. Two fingers slid down the column of his throat, before hooking under the red tie he always had around his neck and tugging the knot out of the fabric. Cross did the same to the first few buttons of Allen's shirt, savoring the sight of the pale moonlight that filtered through his window's open curtains as it bounced off the newly bared flesh of Allen's neck.

Lips met with an almost bruising force, and Allen immediately opened up for his master. A probing tongue slipped through his parted lips, and as the older man's ran over the inside of his mouth and caressed just the right places, Allen couldn't help but moan. Soon Allen could feel the familiar movement of Cross' fingers gliding down his front, undoing his vest's buttons as fast as if he were pulling down a zipper. Allen was starting to run low on breath, but he wouldn't pull away; Cross decided when things began and when they ended. Still, the difference in their lung capacity was always troublesome.

By the time Cross pulled away Allen was pleasantly dizzy. "Maybe I really have been...neglecting you..." he breathed out, his heated breath hitting Allen's throat, making him shudder. Cross' large hands slid up Allen's front and sides, and over his shoulders, pushing off the undone vest; It fell to the floor in a crumpled heap.

Cross attacked the bare skin of Allen's neck, sucking and biting and licking over angry red wounds. Allen whimpered when bitten and moaned whenever he felt that wet muscle slide over his already heated flesh. A small, needy sound left his throat when he felt the absence of those surprisingly soft lips, and the slightly scratchy feel of chin hairs on his neck. Cross was finally done with the button's of Allen's dress shirt; He'd taken his time opening the second shirt, reveling in the sounds Allen was making because of him.

Cross pulled back to admire Allen's appearance. His shirt was open and showing the young boy's toned chest and stomach, pale skin glowing in the moonlight, eyes half-mass with a mix of embarrassment and lust, and lips reddening from their kiss that were complemented by the brilliant blush that had settled on his cheeks. It was quite the arousing sight, Allen was like some sort of sex god, he was just naturally erotic. Cross could've happily stared at Allen for the rest of his life, and Allen wouldn't mind in the least if he did.

"You can be troublesome at times but... at least you make up for it." Allen seized up a little as Cross pushed his shirt down his shoulders, his hands running down Allen's arms as he pushed his sleeves off. This newly shown skin was not nearly as flawless as one would expect, but instead it was mutated. His left arm was red, strange in texture and unusual in color. It looked almost evil and was probably the reason he'd been thrown out at such a young age. Cross was the only person alive who'd ever seen it, for Allen was ashamed of his short-comings and always hid away his imperfection with long sleeves and gloves.

Gloves that Cross slowly pulled up and off, finger by finger. He loved that hand; That there was something so imperfect on an otherwise impeccable body, something about that was so alluring. Allen, impossibly perfect in all his ways had a flaw, one that he only ever showed to his master. It was Cross' privilege to see it, and he appreciated the fact that Allen would trust him enough to show him, for Cross had no intentions of actually forcing Allen to do anything. Allen knew he could hide his arm if he wanted to.

His imperfection made him perfect, And of course, there was another reason why that strange hand with its strange skin was so wonderful...

"I'm sorry..." Allen mumbled under his breath, he never did know when to stop apologizing. Cross took Allen's hand and brought it to his lips, as though he were greeting him. The reaction was almost immediate, Allen let out a gasp and his face burned crimson. His arm was...sensitive, so to say. Cross trailed kisses up the teen's arm, even the slightest brush of his lips again that reddened skin was enough to drive Allen wild. Anything he could do with his mouth he did, and Allen couldn't stop himself from shivering in a most pleasant manner. He put his fist to his mouth, trying his hardest to stop his moans from coming out, though it was a pointless gesture. Cross, not wanting those beautiful sounds to be obscured, took Allen's free hand and pinned it to his side.

"Ma...Master..." Allen panted out; That hand was _really_ sensitive. Cross was done teasing Allen, he wanted to move on. His hands moved from Allen's arms to his hips, his index fingers sliding along the rim of the younger's pants until the met at the front, and Cross quickly unbuttoned and unzipped Allen's pants. He pulled everything that was left on Allen off in one quick motion. Allen made a noise close to a squeak when he felt the cool air of the room assault his heated body. Cross' arms slid around his lover's waist, and he pulled Allen forward onto his lap.

Allen, naked, hot, and embarrassingly erect, started fumbling away with the buttons of Cross' shirt. He was always the one getting teased first, and it was hard to think beyond his libido and focus on anything when Cross was sliding his hands up and down his sides and thighs. He should be used to this by now, he should be beyond this uncoordinated flustering, but as much as he'd said Cross wasn't neglecting him it _had_ been a while.

Mismatched hands guided layer after layer of clothing off of Cross' shoulders. Allen, his need for some sort of release increasing, leaned forward to tempt his master toward his lips. Cross was never one to turn down an invitation and soon Allen was once again breathless and his lover's pants had somehow come undone. Cross leaned back a bit as Allen pulled the offending article of clothing down and off him, and when he was done Allen turned his back to his master. Cross moved behind Allen, his arms winding around the young one's frame. One hand took hold of Allen's cock, eliciting a pleasured gasp from the kid. The other hand moved over his lips, Allen quickly accepted them into his mouth.

Cross thrust his fingers in and out of Allen's mouth in time with his strokes, and Allen did his best to coat his lover's fingers, conveying his pleasure through the movements of his tongue. He could feel the man's strong chest against his back, his arousal pressed against his ass. Cross was so teasing, he didn't want teasing, he wanted Cross in him now. He pressed back against Cross' erection, telling him what he wanted. Cross gave a low chuckled at Allen's eagerness, and removed his fingers from Allen's mouth, replacing them with his lips and tongue, that slipped in almost immediately. His fingers trailed lightly down Allen's back and bottom, stopping at the tight ring of muscle, pushing a slick finger inside. The intrusion always felt a little strange, but there was nothing painful about it. Cross moved his finger over Allen's sensitive walls, touching as much as he could.

Allen mewled as Cross' fingers moved in and out of his entrance, his finger's thrusts timed perfectly with his other hand's strokes. A second finger was added, but the slight burn did nothing to distract Allen from the pleasure Cross was giving him. The third one inspired the feeling of being over-stretched, but Allen was quick to adjust. Soon after, Cross deemed Allen ready, and turned him around, pulling Allen down onto his lap.

"You'll prove it to me, won't you?" Cross asked, he continued when Allen gave him a curious look. "Prove that in the end, you see only me." Allen understood, and positioned himself over Cross' cock. He moved down slowly, but tried to go as fast as he could, lest he anger his master again. There wasn't exactly a happy medium. Cross let out a pleased groan as he felt himself being enveloped by Allen. Allen took a moment to adjust, then brought himself up and impaled himself on his master's erection again. He started moving faster, his pants and moans mixing with his master's in an erotic harmony. As fast as Allen was trying to move, to Cross it was still torturously slow, so he grabbed Allen's hips and helped him move while rolling his own hips to meet Allen's down thrusts.

The white-haired angled himself in a way that he knew would make him see stars. As he came down again, Cross hit the mark and a loud shout of pleasure was ripped from his throat. Allen was so tight around Cross that the heat and friction were nearly unbearable. Cross moved into the exquisite heat again and Allen let out a wet moan, his muscles rippling around Cross. He could hardly stand it anymore, he wanted-_needed_ to ram into that tight ass and he needed to do it now. He lifted Allen off his lap, his servant whimpered at the empty feeling.

"On your knees." Cross commanded, and Allen quickly obliged. Cross drove into him with an intense force, making him cry out.

"Master..!" Allen could feel his master against his back, in him, his arm snaking around him to once again grab his member and pump. "Ah...fu...Master..." Cross rammed into him unmercifully, Allen could do nothing but rock back and yell in pleasure as Cross hit his sweet spot over and over with as much force as he could.

Then he hit his peak. His orgasm hit him out of nowhere, he saw explosions of white behind his tightly shut eyelids as a thick liquid of the same spilt into Cross' hand. Cross continued to move in him; God only knew how long he could continue. He was left reeling from his intense orgasm and was still unbelievably tight around Cross.

Cross brought his semen-covered hand to Allen's face, turning it toward him and running his thumb over Allen's lips. He could taste himself on his lips as Cross kissed him fiercely, pushing his tongue into the child's mouth. Allen was now aware enough to tighten his muscles around Cross, who moaned into his mouth as he came and filled Allen with liquid heat. Cross nearly trembled as wave after wave of ecstacy moved through him.

As soon as he was finished, he pulled out of Allen, who promptly fell to the bed, as boneless as a rag doll. Cross, in comparison to his young partner, was practically overflowing with energy, so he was the one to get up and retrieve some wet cloths to wash Allen off with. They may have been lovers, but Cross still had a life time's more experience than Allen, and he didn't take the child so often that he would build up all the stamina he had. While for anyone else, his having to get up would be annoying, he rather enjoyed cleaning Allen off. The boy was always so sensitive afterward that even the smallest touch would leave him red in the face and biting back moans. It was like dessert after the main course.

When Cross returned, Allen was starring at the bathroom door, waiting with droopy, adorably tired eyes for his master to return; He wouldn't sleep unless he was told he could. Cross sat beside his assistant, wiping the boy's body down. Allen, as predicted, blushed profusely and squirmed under his touch. He was so sensitive and he still felt so good that the warm, soft cloth going over him was over-stimulation.

When Cross finished he threw the cloth into the room's adjoining bathroom, before laying down next to his lover. With the last of the strength he had, Allen moved toward Cross and kissed his cheek lightly. It was one of those insanely innocent and sweet things that only Allen could pull off after sex. He went on to cuddle Cross; once again, something only Allen could do.

"I'm sorry Master...I really see...no one but you..." He mumbled, before Cross put one hand over his eyes, which was all he needed to know that he could sleep.

"I know..." Cross sighed contentedly as he removed his hand from Allen's eyes and placed it over his own. Even now he still had his mask on. Maybe it was unfair of him to have Allen show his arm, which he was so ashamed of, when he himself wouldn't show his entire face, but then their relationship had never been fair.

**Saya is so sorry... she hopes that wasn't completely failporn... this is actually a lot better than what was written in her notebook...Saya's glad to see that all of her "research" has come in handy... this was so hard to write though...there were a lot of "I cant believe I'm writing this" moments in which Saya had to take a break... it took too long to write...**


	4. Nostalgia

**Ehe...Originally, this was gonna be another smut chapter...but in the end Saya decided to cut it just before it got to the actual smexing... She just didn't want to do that to the story. Still, she ended up getting some plot-moving stuff in there to replace the smut, which makes her much happier with this chapter :3.**

**Disclaimer: Saya doesn't own the actors, just the script they're acting to.**

**Warnings: Rated M for sexual material en masse, and pedophilia, considering how both Cross and Tyki are much older than Allen. **

**4. **Nostalgia

Allen felt sunlight stinging through his eyelids when he woke, it was nearly excruciatingly bright. Faintly, he wondered why the sun was so bright when he usually woke up at dawn, when the sun as still weak. The idea of having slept in hit him suddenly, and he was so startled by the thought that he bolted upright and nearly fell out of the bed while scrambling about, trying to gain his bearings. Allen Walker did not sleep in, it was unheard of, there was just no way it could happen to him, right? Unfortunately, once he stopped panicking and started looking around, he saw Cross, already awake, simply sitting at the bedside as he took a long drag on his cigarette.

"I don't recall you being so spastic in the mornings." A low chuckle followed that statement, and slowly Allen remembered that he had fallen asleep in the master's room.

"Wh-what time is it...?" Allen asked hesitantly, unsure of whether he really wanted an answer to that or not. He was feeling extremely worried, and he had every right to be, since he'd woken up _after_ Cross.

"Good morning to you too. It's noon." Allen could see the teasing grin on his master's face, Cross was probably finding his behavior to be quite entertaining. He wanted to fall back into Cross' soft down pillows and groan; He had slept in really late, people would notice.

Maybe that was Cross' _real_ punishment for him, making him late? To be so late would most definitely cause problems, people would ask questions, everything he had to do in the mornings would go undone. Many people in the manor resented the fact that he had such a high position at such a young age, but he had always prevented them from criticizing him by never giving them a reason to. They were vultures though, they would take the first opportunity they got to berate him for slacking. This was most definitely the perfect opportunity for them to do so, seeing as he really had no excuse for being late.

Allen knew he did not have to worry about losing his position over what anyone else said, because he knew that no matter what anyone said he was one of the most diligent workers under Cross' employ, and Cross knew it too. As long as he continued to work his hardest and keep his master happy, he would always have a place in this manor and in his bed. Honestly, he did not really care what he did, as long as he was with his master.

Still, those vultures were annoying as all hell. Really, he did his job well, did he not? The home was run smoothly and the sky was not falling so could they just back off a little? They did not have to nit-pick every little thing he did or point it out every time he did something as small as trip. At any rate, dealing with his critics was much more of a punishment than sleeping with Cross was.

Allen did not waste any more time sitting down, and sat up, pushing himself off the bed while silently hoping his legs would support him. He was only half-surprised to find his clothes all neatly folded by the bedside; Cross treated him well most of the time, but it was always something of a surprise when he broke character and did something small yet kind like that. Allen had only just pulled his trousers on when he felt a strong arm wrap around his waist. He was pulled back against Cross' chest, as the man's other arm wound around him to tilt his face to the side, and gave him a light kiss on the side of his mouth. It was part of their morning routine that would not be overlooked, even though Allen had never left the manor.

Allen gave a small smile as he moved away; He did not mind being possessed in the least, not as long as it was his master who kept him so close. Once dressed, he left to start the master's bath; Cross had a hang up over being clean, he usually washed as soon as he got up. "Cleanliness is close to godliness" as they say, and Cross was definitely godly in his own mind, and the minds of the women he bedded. Most men thought he was just plain arrogant though.

He walked into the bathroom with a familiar, dull ache between his legs that he had long since grown used to. The memory it invoked made him blush, as it always did; He was bashful by nature. The bathroom was large and luxurious, tastefully decorated with not too much ornamentation, yet still a far cry from plain. The floor had a black and red checker pattern on the tiles, there was a large mirror on one of the walls, and on the opposite side of the room a large claw foot bath sat. The walls were a pale gold and the curtains matched the red of the tiles.

This was the exact room where everything had started, where Allen had gone from being just an assistant, to a lover. Sometimes Allen caught himself wondering whether or not it was a good memory. Maybe it was just a confusing one? But that incident had ended in something good, so he felt that the memory itself was of little consequence. Despite that though, Allen could never stop that supposedly inconsequential memory from flowing into his mind.

_0 Three Years Earlier 0_

_Allen Walker was thirteen, he had been for months. Almost as many months as Mana had been dead. He could no longer think of anything, not even his age, without remembering that his beloved foster father was dead. While it was true that he was thankful to still be allowed to live and work within the manor, he had taken his father's job, the reason being because he had helped Mana with it ever since he had been well enough to work and was the only one who knew how to make Cross' tonic. But it was just too much, to remember everything every day. Even if he was working, and keeping everything in the perfect order his father had left things, he felt numb, like he was just going through the motions of living. He knew that his lackluster attitude was annoying (and he wasn't quite sure but maybe worrying?) His master, but he just could not bring himself to __**care**__. _

_He had just brought his master back from a particularly raucous party, and Cross felt the need to bathe. Because he could not think of any particular law or health reason why he should not take a bath in the middle of the night (besides the obvious reason that Cross may fall asleep, in which case Allen would just wake him up), Allen heeded his master's order and started to fill the bath. For some reason or other, Cross seemed just a bit more dependant on him than usual, though maybe he had just had that much more liquor that night? He'd had so much to drink that Allen had lost count of the number of bottles Cross had drained; He was surprised Cross had not gotten alcohol poisoning. _

_So, Allen helped Cross undress (blushing every shade of red known to man, along with several that had yet to be discovered by humans), and lowered him into the steaming water. He waited for a moment to be sure that his master would not need anything more for the time being, and turned to stand by the door, there and alert, but not intrusive in the least._

_A large hand caught his thin wrist in a strong, but not painful grip. Allen did not have to look back to know that Cross was holding him back; After all, who else could it be? He did anyway though, because he could not think up a reason why Cross would in the first place. _

"_Allen." One word was all the warning he got before Cross pulled him back, and he fell, fully clothed, into the tub of steaming hot water and onto his master. Water slid over the edge of the tub and hit the tiled floor with a loud splattering sound that echoed through the now-silent room. The heated liquid around him moved with the disturbance he had caused. _

"_M-Master...?" Allen was confused and almost frightened by what was happening. It was not every day that he was yanked into the bath by Cross. His eyes widened when Cross put two fingers on his neck, almost as if he were feeling for a pulse, and then slid them up the column of his neck with a teasing slowness, using his fingers to guide Allen's face toward his. He was granted a searing kiss, which only served to confuse him more, especially when he realized he was kissing back, albeit more than a bit clumsily. This was something that Cross usually did with women, so why was he kissing Allen? Had he forgotten that the younger boy was, indeed, a boy? What Cross really capable of getting __**that**__ drunk?_

_Cross broke off their kiss, the start of a trend that Allen would always follow. "Master...why?" Allen was panting as though he had just run a mile. Cross' expression became serious, and as close to sober as he could get in his current intoxicated state. _

"_I'm sick of you acting like the ghost of your former self, it reminds me too much of her. If you really need someone special to you in order to live, then belong to me." Allen was far too confused to question Cross about whom this mysterious woman was, and Cross was too drunk to notice that he had even said that. _

"_Belong to... you?" The water rippled and splashed onto the floor as Cross began moving Allen, in quick, efficient movements. Before he realized it, Allen found himself facing Cross, staring into eyes that were too clear to belong to someone who was supposedly drunk off his ass. _

"_Yes. If you need someone to live for, then live for me and only me. Never let another person speak to you the way I will, never let another person touch you how I will. Be happy when I am, and fix whatever is wrong when I am not. But most importantly, never leave," Cross whispered, his commanding tone hiding plenty of other thoughts and emotions; He may have been hammered, but he was had that much control of himself. _

_Cross had pulled the dumbstruck Allen into a sitting position on his lap, facing him. Allen was not quite sure he wanted to live for another person again. People die, people leave and never come back, he could devote his entire life to one person, adore them and make them his reason for being, but that could not stop death. Of course, by now Allen had realized that Cross intended to treat him in an entirely different way than Mana ever had. Even so, could he stand to lose another important person? He could lose his master at any time really, especially when one considers all of Cross' unhealthy habits. Then again, Cross had lived with them all for so long any way (how old was he, really?) That Allen could not see Cross dying. Then again, he had never imagined Mana could die, either._

_Cross was not expecting an answer anytime soon. Well, at least not a verbal one. He pulled Allen flush against him; If Allen did not want to live for him and him alone, then he would pull away, Cross would let him leave. Allen could stay with him if he wanted, or he could leave. Cross may take pride in his rather immoral lifestyle, but he would never force Allen. If Allen left he would simply pretend that he did not remember a thing about this little confrontation (he might really forget anyway), and after a while, Allen would forget too._

_Cross trailed kisses down from Allen's lips to his neck, until he could feel Allen's pulse under his lips. Hard, quick, excited, afraid, it was like feeling the boy's life. Allen, well, his body at least, seeing as his mind was too busy being dazed and confused, tilted his head to the side to give Cross more room to work. But in doing so he turned his face to the left, and quickly realized that his white dress shirt had soaked through, and was nearly transparent on his skin. That in itself would not be so horrible, but what it revealed made reality crash down on Allen, his mind was instantly cleared of all its haze. That horrible, evil, mutated arm of his that had gotten him thrown onto the streets when he was small was showing through his shirt almost as clearly as if he was not wearing one at all. He panicked; He had to hide it, he had to hide it or he would be thrown out again. Somehow though, leaving in order to hide it had never crossed his mind, maybe he was just a bit too panicked?_

_The bigger problem though wasn't that his arm was showing, for it seemed that Cross had yet to notice it, the problem was that Allen's frenzy was making the fact that he had something to hide much more obvious. Now that Allen had inadvertently called attention to his left side, Cross could not help but look. The deep red of his arm clashed obscenely with the rest of his pale form, and once Cross had seen it, it was impossible to look away from or for Allen to hide. Allen let out a frightened whimper as Cross pushed his sleeve up his arm, though the gesture was pointless as the white material had been made transparent. Allen did not want to see the look on his master's face when he inspected his devilish hand, so he closed his eyes._

"_If you belong to me, that means I must know everything about you." Cross murmured, bringing the bizarre hand to his lips. The warm breath that hit his skin made him whimper for an entirely different reason from before. _

_Cross raised an amused eyebrow; Allen could feel him smirk lightly against his hand. "Sensitive, aren't we?" He soon began to undress Allen, peeling away his wet vest and shirt, to see how far the boy's strange skin extended. His expression was not one of disdain or disgust, rather it was a mix of curiosity and some strange amusement. _

"_M-Master...?" Allen did not want to let hope rise, he refused to let himself believe that another person would so easily accept that hidden part of him. It was outlandish and strange, evil, cursed, frightening. It was something that he did not want and yet had no choice in living with. One part of him had destroyed his life when he was just a child. He could not wrap his mind around the idea that his insensitive, womanizing, drunkard, slacking master could look at his gross imperfection as though it were a normal thing to have. Better than normal, if one where to judge Cross' opinion based on his expression. _

"_You've got one chance. You can run now, or you can stay." Allen was still as he thought for a moment. He could run away. He could jump out of the bath, run out of the room, and just pretend none of this had ever happened. He could leave the manor and find a job elsewhere, he was close to an age where he could find some decent work, and many of the business owners in the greater London area knew him and would be glad to hire him. _

_Or he could stay. He could stop just going through the motions, he could stop trying to shield himself from pain by neglecting to be happy. He could take a chance and do his best to care for his new important person. He could stay with the people he knew and the people he had grown attached to. He could keep the manor running perfectly and make his deceased father proud of his hard work. He could allow himself to feel again._

_Allen leaned forward, resting his forehead on Cross' chest. He would stay._

_0 Present 0_

At the time, Allen had been desperate for something, he was so tired of living without someone important to him, and he hated being afraid of having a special person. He could not live for his own happiness, for he did not know how to do that. From the moment he had been adopted, his main focus had been to make Mana proud, to make his father happy, because that made him happy. He had been raised by a servant, and taught to be a servant, he did not know of a happiness that existed where he did not make someone else happy.

So though he hesitated, in the end Allen could not decline Cross' invitation to live for him. But he had been young, he had not fully realized what those kisses and caresses meant, what chains those words could be. Still, he learned, eventually, and even now he would not have it any other way. He could not help but want to live for his master.

Allen shook his head when he realized that he had lost focus. He noted that the tub had filled and that he had unconsciously prepared the rest of the bath. Turning off the water, he went to fetch his master.

_I can get lost in thought some other time, right now I should focus!_

Allen stepped out of the adjoined bathroom and into Cross' bedroom.

"Finally done, my little daydreamer?"

"Yes Master!" Allen was embarrassed to have been caught letting his thoughts wander, but at least he was so used to the morning routine that he had been able to work without putting much thought into anything.

Cross walked passed him to enter the room, Allen following close behind. He took Cross' clothes and folded them as they were shed. Once the vermilion-haired man was comfortably seated in the claw-footed tub, Allen turned to leave.

"Allen." A light blush dusted his face, as a shy but happy smile made its way onto Allen's face, and he turned back.

000

Despite popular belief, Cross did not spend all of his time womanizing. Far from it, really. He was more than a little busy dealing with the businesses that his family had owned for generations. However, he usually let other people make decisions about those, and only stepped in when it came to making important, final decisions. He was a genius scientist and had already made many contributions to the scientific community. He had also discovered quite a few things that he was sure the world simply was _not_ ready for, and was keeping to himself. Of course, he had help in all of his endeavors. At that very moment, Cross was holed up in one of his labs with his science partner.

Komui Lee, age 29, elder brother to Lenalee, had met a young Cross on a rainy day in a back road 15 years before, when he was only 14 and had smuggled himself and his then 1-year-old sister into the country. They had been best friends for years, and both had a mutual interest in a few of the darker, slightly occult sciences. If there was one person who was even close to thinking in the same strange, twisted way that Cross did, it was probably Komui. Even so, the Chinese man could not understand two things about his friend and benefactor. One was why he found sleeping around so enjoyable. The second, and perhaps the most baffling, was Allen. Well, he knew _why_ Cross had chosen to have such a relationship with the boy, but he just could not understand his friend's reasoning.

The two scientists heard a knock on the door before the white haired butler himself entered the room, carrying two empty mugs. The boy could not help but smile confusedly at what he saw, but he stayed quiet, trying not to disturb the two older men, one who was concentrating extremely hard on the project at hand, the other wondering about the same thing Allen was.

"And done! Allen, be a dear and pass me that mug, would you?" Allen did as told and slid the strange blue bunny mug that Komui was unusually attached to down the table; It conveniently missed every flask, measuring cup, and test tube holder in its path. Komui grinned in his happy way as he poured the richly colored concoction into his mug. He took a sip and his grin widened with glee.

"It's perfect!"

"Komui, sir, if you wanted coffee, I would have been glad to make you some in the kitchen..."

"Now, now, don't be foolish, I couldn't bare to put you through the trouble," Komui said, waving off Allen's suggestion.

"But you'd put me through the trouble of preparing one of my labs so that you could make yourself some Blue Mountain coffee?" Cross asked, with a hint of annoyance in his voice as his eye twitched. Friends they may have been, but that did not make Komui's excessive love of coffee any more tolerable.

"Of course! It's much easier to impose on you, and I'd feel just awful if I drank anyone besides my dear Lenalee's coffee! So I make it myself."

"Why you..." Cross scowled, and pulled off the beret that Komui always wore for no notable reason, turning on a Bunsen burner and threatening to burn it. Komui looked horrified, and Allen did his best to hold in his chuckles; his master and Komui always did the strangest and most entertaining things...

**Originally, Komui was just going to show up once, but give some incredible insight into Cross' reason for being with Allen, but...Saya decided that she would save that for the next chapter... She likes Komui... he's so fun. This story needed a little normality, you know? Saya felt that she should give you guys a little peak at what Allen's day-to-day life is like, because its not just sex all the time, and Cross seems a little too criminal at the moment... These guys have normal fun too. **


	5. Escort

**Ah...another week, another chapter... Saya is so happy that its getting warm out...**

**Disclaimer: Saya doesn't own the actors, just the script they're acting to.**

**Warnings: Rated M for sexual material en masse, and pedophilia, considering how both Cross and Tyki are much older than Allen. **

5. Escort

Komui seemed to be finding himself in Cross' company more and more lately. There were two possible reasons for this, and the later was more likely. The first possibility was that Cross could be getting serious about his duties outside of science, for besides being his long-time friend, Komui was also his business consultant and accountant. If they had no strange science to work on, then they were working on bills and paperwork together. The more likely reason for his constantly being called upon was that Cross was troubled. The master didn't show such weaknesses often or easily, but one of the few ways he did show that something seemed wrong was keeping Komui around for longer than was necessary. It always seemed to set the masked man at ease to have someone who thought the way he did around.

At the moment though, they were back in the labs, working with a few more than dangerous and highly combustive chemicals that called for extreme attention.

"If something is upsetting you Cross, it would save us both a lot of work if you just told me about it now," Komui said, which actually meant something along the lines of "If you stop moping we can get back to procrastinating like we usually do because quite frankly working diligently was never very becoming of either of us." Cross agreed wholeheartedly on that matter, but still had a hard time turning his worries into words, it was one of his few shortcomings. While he considered appearing as though he was carefree a good thing, his inability to express it when he was troubled was one of his largest shortcomings, one he had yet to admit having.

Cross sighed, knowing that if there was one person on the planet who knew everything about him, and would always find out what he didn't know, it was Komui, so there was no point in trying to act as though nothing was wrong.

"Its... Allen," He admitted, looking into the tea he held in hand, made by the white-haired devil himself. Komui made a face as if to say "Why am I not surprised?"

"Well, nothing unexpected there. Do go on," Komui said, motioning with his hand for Cross to continue.

"Are you going to make me feel petty about this?" Cross asked, sensing that Komui's attitude on the situation had changed the moment he'd said the name "Allen." It wasn't that Komui didn't like Allen, on the contrary, he thought of Allen as a little brother, almost. That was exactly why he didn't particularly care for Cross' relationship with the boy, though he found it hard to remember just why he disapproved of it when he was around said child. Allen was always so shining, he smiled freely and always seemed so happy. Komui wondered how such happiness could be wrong, but then as soon as Allen's glowing presence left, Komui remembered that it was because that happiness came with a price, one Komui thought was too much for a boy of only 15-years-old to deal with.

"I'll...do my best not to," Komui said noncommittally. Cross groaned, but continued on anyway.

"Well...a little over a week ago he came home smelling like smoke that wasn't my brand..."

"A lot of people smoke in London."

"And then at that soirée last Tuesday, I found his eyes drifting after another, who it was I have no clue." Komui stopped paused in his measuring for a moment, before starting again. That was surprising; Allen Walker's eyes wandered? It was time to run for the hills and get that last confession in because surely the world would end. Or at least that was the way Cross made it seem. He did have this habit of making things out to be worse than they really were.

"Well Allen is 15 you know. Sure, he's been unwaveringly loyal until now, but you have to realize that he's still a kid and still has hormones. You remember your teen years, don't you?" Komui was trying to make his friend feel better, wondering what would happen to both Cross and Allen if the boy's feelings ever suddenly changed. He wasn't a huge fan of their relationship, no, but even Komui realized that it was almost necessary for them.

"Oh, do I remember..." Cross said, his voice indicating that he was getting lost in memories of his youth, which he'd spent womanizing. Wait, that was the same a the present, Cross didn't need to dwell on past events when the past and present were so similar.

"Exactly. Allen is at that age where his eye is likely to be caught by a pretty lady or two. Or possibly an attractive male, considering how the two of you are bent," Komui said rather bluntly. Cross scowled at Komui's uncalled for comment.

"Thanks Lee, thanks."

"Any time," Komui said sarcastically. Things were silent for a moment, as the two continued to take measurements and make observations. The silence was deafening though, because Komui had something he wanted to say and Cross knew it, but he also knew he probably wouldn't like it.

"Oh just spit it out already!" Cross finally growled out, preferring angry yelling over this awkward silence. Komui tried to decide on the best way to word his thoughts, but there seemed to be no truly tactful way of approaching the subject. It was a subject best left not tampered with, yet it was quite dangerous when left alone as well.

"Cross...Have you ever considered that maybe you're too... possessive... of Allen?" This wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation, and surely it wouldn't be the last, but it always ended in the same, bitter way. Komui wasn't all that crazy about their relationship at all, but he could tell it made the two of them happy...somehow. But that didn't mean Cross had to hold onto Allen so tightly. The boy had a right to some semblance of normality, did he not?

"Hm, this again?" Cross dismissed the topic with a wave of his hand, not wanting to go through all the motions of this particular conversation. He understood Komui's opinion and if he was anyone other that who he was he probably would've agreed. However, Cross and Cross and that was that.

"Cross, he's just a boy of 15 and you have him on a leash and running your house! Have you ever considered that he might be happier if he were allowed some space to breathe? Or if he were allowed to have friendly relations with other people without you getting jealous and pissed? He'd probably enjoy a little freedom."

"If Allen wants things to change, he can say so himself."

"And do you honestly think he would?" Komui's voice was calm but that was hardly a mask for his frustration. He hated how no matter what he said on the matter, Cross never listened. They had been friends for the better half of two decades and Cross trusted his judgement on everything but this. He understood why Cross held on so tightly, but he also realized that the master didn't realize that made it easier for things to slip through the cracks of his hand.

"Cross..Allen isn't like her, and he never will be."

"Don't bring her up!" Cross shouted, startling Komui. Usually the master was composed and aloof, acting as though he were perpetually amused by everything, and anything that didn't wasn't worth his time. However Komui knew that this was one issue that could make even Cross serious for a change.

"It's the truth Cross, and nothing can change or progress until you realize that!"

"Have you ever considered I don't _want_ things to change?"

"Well there are other people who do!" Just then the solution they'd left unattended exploded. The bickering duo ducked under a table out of reflex.

"Wh-what exploded this time?" A breathless voice came from the door, as it was thrown open. The two surprised scientists looked over to see the albino boy himself, with a tray of tea, coffee, and scones balanced in one hand, the other braced on the open door.

"Er... nothing to worry about Allen, just a little mishap, happens all the time, right?" Komui said, trying to brush the incident off. Allen looked over to the remains of the experiment, and sighed. Placing the tray he held down on the table Cross and Komui were still under, Allen went into a cabinet to get the hazmat equipment needed to clean the dangerous chemicals up.

"How many times do I need to remind you two to be careful when dealing with highly combustive chemicals? Really, you two are the scientists here, you know the risks of leaving these things unattended for even a moment!" Allen scolded lightly, as he handed the two (who had only now chosen to stand up) the materials needed to clear the lab of harmful substances. If there was one thing that neither Cross and Komui would allow Allen to do, it was clean chemicals. Allen, being a young boy with only a primary education, had little idea of what the two older men were actually meddling in, and therefore rejoiced in the fact that he didn't have to deal with things that exploded so often.

"Yes, yes Allen... We'll be careful so why don't you leave before you breathe in something unhealthy..." Cross suggested, sounding a bit worn out. Komui and Cross usually steered clear of this conversation, but it was always rather straining to deal with when it did come up. Komui couldn't help but dwell on it though, because no matter what, he couldn't forget that no matter how real Cross and Allen's relationship was now, it started with Allen being a replacement.

000

_Things sure have been strange these last couple of days..._

Allen breathed in the air of the outside world for the first time in days. He'd strayed from the norm for about a week, and had stayed inside the manor walls. Now though he was back to his usual schedule of spending the mornings out in London. It wasn't his fault that things had been strange lately... well, it was only half his fault, at the most. The one problem with being with Cross was that once something happened between them, it was bound to happen again. Allen was sure he wouldn't even be able to think about sex for a week without aching all over.

Cross also tended to demand Allen stay in his presence more often afterwards. Allen had long since realized this his master's way of demanding things from him was really just a very poorly hidden way of saying that he _needed_ Allen's presence after anything they did. Allen wasn't like all of Cross' one night stands, but sometimes Cross just needed some reassurance.

_It's almost cute that way he's so insecure. He really does need me to take care of him._

Allen couldn't help but revel in the fact that he was needed and wanted.

All of that was currently of little importance at the moment though, as he was simply running errands again as usual. Which of course, meant he had to do his best to avoid dealing with all the ruffians who polluted the streets. Paranoia had this way of killing all of his good moods. Still, Allen was more determined than ever not to let anyone so much as touch him. He'd angered his master before, and though he wouldn't quite say he'd been "punished" (who in their right mind would call sleeping with Cross a punishment?), it was the principal of the matter. He simply didn't want to upset his master again. So, he would happily beat the crap out of anyone who tried anything funny. What was one little street brawl when his master's faith in him was on the line?

Sadly though, just like almost any other time he appeared alone in the big city, he was accosted. Allen didn't get it, he was perfectly male, and there were thousands of single women in London alone, plenty of them being whores who were much easier to procure than he was. So why then, was he always the one being bothered? Yes, it seemed that after a week without someone to chase, the street rats were back to cause him some more trouble, with renewed vigor. He didn't want to risk fighting more than three people one-on-one again, because it was too complicated to try and fight when three sets of arms were each restraining a limb. So he'd just run, let one catch up, knock him senseless and run some more.

Running around corners, Allen thought, was the worst by far. He never knew who would be on the other side, and it wasn't all that unusual for him to bump into someone when he did. Why oh why was he always being pursued? He'd damn his looks but he was pretty sure Cross liked them.

000

He walked down his usual road, more than a bit perplexed. A problem had been troubling him for days now, and that problem was Allen Walker.

Tyki had, as he'd hoped, seen the boy at Miss Nyne's party, and while usually he wouldn't hesitate to talk to anyone he found interesting, be they a noble or a servant, he remembered then that Allen had asked him to keep their meeting a secret. The strangeness of that request had only made itself known to Tyki at that moment. So instead, he watched from the corner of his eye with delight as he saw the boy's eyes follow him whenever he passed by. His eyes had often moved between Cross and him, which was to be expected as Marian was his master. Still, a petty part of him was somewhat jealous, though a sensible part of him was disgusted for reveling in a young boy's attention. He was starting to feel like a pervert.

But, more than any of that, he found it strange that Allen seemed to have gotten into trouble when Lavi had hugged him. He'd somehow managed to slip a question about that into a casual conversation with Lavi, who didn't seem to know much about the situation himself. "Cross is just strict I guess," was all he could say. From the way he said it though, Tyki could tell that he wasn't the only one curious about this. Maybe, though Cross was known for his womanizing ways, he was exceptionally strict about his staff entering any relationships? He could've just been homophobic to the point where two men doing anything more than shake hands was offensive, which for any normal conservative man would've been an acceptable excuse, but Cross...well, he was Cross. The possibility seemed a bit unlikely.

Tyki sighed, dwelling on such things for too long would do him no good. He was walking down a busy street, he had to pay attention or he'd bump into someone–

He felt something comparatively small and quite solid ram into him with the force of a bull. Being unprepared for this as he was, Tyki couldn't help but fall backwards, and he and the other person had a few more minor collisions on the way down. The wind was knocked out of him when he fell flat on his back, and he had no opportunity to retrieve it, as his "assailant" had fallen on top of him.

I-I am so sorry!"

_Wait-I know that voice...I think._

Tyki slowly opened his eyes, which had closed on collision. He tried to take a breath, but found that there was still a weight on his chest that was preventing him from getting enough air. He looked down, only to find himself staring into two summer-storm eyes, framed by silky white tresses. Allen Walker's face was flushed, with a mix of embarrassment and exhaustion.

Allen pushed himself up with his hands, repeatedly apologizing. Tyki, on the other hand, heard none of it. His mind was completely focused on how Allen looked while he sat on top of him. He couldn't help but stare at the adorably blushing face, or those cute, wide, worried eyes. And of course it was difficult to ignore how Allen was practically straddling his waist while panting.

"So, fancy meeting you here Allen," Tyki said casually, which for some reason made Allen blush more. "I'd love to chat but you may want to get up first, people are staring." Allen, letting out a little yelp when he realized that he was still, indeed, on the ground, jumped up and off of Tyki.

"I'm sorry..."

Tyki got up, and dusted himself off. "It's quite all right. So, on the run again? One must wonder if you even try to avoid trouble."

Allen huffed, of course he tried! If those ruffians ever got their hands on him, who knew how Cross would react? He'd have them lynched for sure...Allen may not like the people he dealt with, but he wouldn't wish death on anyone. An even worse thought was, what if he got blamed? He could be thrown out, though he doubted Cross would actually do that.

"Of course I try to avoid it, it doesn't reflect well on the master if I'm always in trouble." That was Allen's official reason for wanting to stay out of trouble. Tyki thought that Cross did a good enough job of soiling his own reputation, and that nothing Allen could do would make it worse. Of course, he wouldn't ever actually say that to Allen, who seemed to be the embodiment of loyalty.

At some point or other, the two had started walking, in the exact opposite direction Tyki had been originally walking in, which was the direction Allen had been fleeing in. Allen was no longer being pursued, and if he was then his pursuers weren't making any moves to capture him. In truth, a few of them remembered Tyki, and had warned the others against attacking Allen while he walked with the armed Earl. Tyki, being the gentleman he was, offered to help Allen finish his morning errands. There conversation continued and it wasn't until later that Allen realized what he was doing.

_Huh? Why am I walking with him? I should be going home, since I'm done..._

Allen was sure he was being foolish. He'd gotten distracted by this man and had upset his master before, so what was he thinking, walking with him like they were old chums? What if he was seen, and word somehow got to his master? He didn't even want to think about that...

Even as he told himself this, he continued to walk with the other. They were moving out of the busier section of the city, and in the general direction of the Marian manor. Now that he was done, Allen wanted to get back to the safety of his home as soon as possible. He had plenty of time to get home today, so he could take his time and walk there. However, he absolutely couldn't allow Tyki to walk with him all the way to the front gates. There was a gatekeeper who had it out for him, and would use any excuse to get on his case. Never mind that his job all but depended on having Allen's favor.

"So, I saw you at Miss Nyne's estate the other day, I didn't realize you knew Lavi," Tyki said, breaking the silence that Allen never seemed to be able to break himself.

"Oh, yes. We're usually the only ones around out age on the wall, so I suppose it was only natural that we'd become friends." Tyki couldn't believe that he'd never noticed Allen before. The boy was one of the prettiest people he'd ever seen, and he always talked with Lavi, his own butler. How had he missed the boy at all those parties?

Then again, Allen had done the same. He'd listened to Lavi talk about his master all the time, and had probably seen him a hundred times before but he'd never really bothered to connect the dots or take an interest. How was it that after one meeting, they would find themselves meeting again and talking again, as though it were a normal occurrence? Maybe this wasn't as big a deal as they both thought? Maybe Allen was just blowing things out of proportion because for once he could see beyond Cross? Maybe Tyki was just hung up over how they met?

The two continued to talk about minor things as the walked towards Allen's destination, though their conversations were littered with awkward pauses. Tyki was starting to wonder why he hadn't just gone on with his business. He was going in the exact opposite direction of where he was originally headed, he would most definitely be late to return home, which mean Lavi would probably go into a tizzy worrying about his well-being. Of course, as soon as Tyki did arrive home, he'd have to listen to the retired Bookman, who was Lavi's predecessor and grandfather, rant and rave about how irresponsible he was being. Tyki loved the people who worked for him, and valued their loyalty and concern for him, but they sure were a handful...

He was probably being a nuisance to Allen too.

Allen turned to the gentleman beside him, feeling slightly guilty about what he was requesting. He knew it would come out rude no matter how he said it, but it needed to be said.

"Thank you for escorting me all this way, but...could you please...turn back now?"

Anyone else would've felt at least a little bit insulted, but Tyki's mind only registered how straightforward the question was. He blinked a few times, before muttering a quiet "How blunt." Allen immediately started fretting, he hadn't meant to affront the older man, but he _really_ couldn't have anyone accompanying him to the gates of the manor.

"No, no, no! It's not like that! You've been very kind to me, and not a bother at all, but there's this one guard at the front gate that really has it out for me. If he were to see me with another person who didn't work in the manor, he'd immediately think I was slacking and he'd gladly hold it over me..." Kanda Yuu, age 18, had come to work for the master completely by chance. He and Allen most definitely did_ not _get along. As far as Allen knew there was no reason for it, they just hated each other because they were destined to. They tended to glare at each other every time Allen came home.

"Ah, unreasonable guards. He must be a hot-headed fellow."

"Just a bit, yes... Ok, that's an understatement."

"I see, well I'll just be off them. Au revoir, Allen." Tyki gave Allen a charming grin, and bowed at the waist, tipping his hat as he did so. Allen couldn't help but notice how every move the man made was graceful and flowing, or the natural charisma that seemed to roll off of him, even as he turned and walked away. Allen shook his head when he realized he was staring.

_I can't be doing this...I have to get home. _

Allen turned away, and ran for the front gates on the mansion.

**Saya noticed something interesting recently. In this story, the mansion Cross lives in is called the Marian manor by everyone, and while on her bus, Saya realized there is also a place in her city called the Marian manor. No, its not a mansion (that woulda been too epic though...) It was actually an old folk's home...Cross lives in a retirement home? How old is he anyway...this is where Saya's thoughts on the matter stop because Cross shoots her. **


	6. Smoking

**Things were getting a bit busy around the time this was written....it's nice to be able to semi-regularly update this. ** **Not much more to say really....except for men in uniform equal yes.**

**Disclaimer: Saya doesn't own the actors, just the script they're acting to.**

**Warnings: Rated M for sexual material en masse, and pedophilia, considering how both Cross and Tyki are much older than Allen. **

6. Smoking

Allen walked calmly through the front gates of the manor, giving the gatekeeper, Kanda, an acknowledging nod as he did his best not to glare. Kanda didn't seem to feel the need to restrain himself even that much though, for he openly glared at his boss. Allen wondered if it would be appropriate to cut Kanda's pay for disrespecting his superiors.

Really, he had no idea why Kanda hated him so much! He had simply hated Allen from the moment they'd first laid eyes on each other, five years earlier. Allen remembered it perfectly; Lenalee had bumped into Kanda on the street, recognized him as someone from her primary school days, and asked her brother to help him get a job at the manor when she had learned he was looking for a way to make a living. Allen had been there when he'd been introduced to Mana, who had been the one in charge of employment at the time. Mana said he looked like a hard worker with potential and had him work under one of the guards, who was starting to get a bit too old for his job and was looking to retire soon. All Allen had done was smile at the boy from behind Mana, and Kanda had glared at him. It never did get better after that.

The silent exchange was over quickly enough, as Allen kept a brisk pace. When he made it inside, he found he really didn't have time to spare, and ran to the kitchen quickly to prepare the master's tonic before he woke.

000

Cross was more than a little relieved when Allen came back that day, smelling wonderfully like the soap he'd used the night before, and not smoke. That first time he'd come back smelling like someone else's smoke had annoyed Cross a little more than he had realized. Perhaps he really had overreacted to that? Maybe someone who happened to smoke a different brand than himself had been taking the same route as Allen that day? Or maybe the boy had been attacked that day by someone who smoked? In that case, it was only natural that Allen wouldn't say anything about it, he did so hate to make Cross worry. Of course, it wasn't as though he didn't know that Allen was accosted so often, things like that had been happening to him since even before Mana died. Cross and Mana had made Allen learn a few different martial arts so he could defend himself. Allen took to fighting like a natural...

Cross was in a pretty good mood, now that he had been relieved of his worry. Feeling certain of his position in Allen's heart was so comforting.

Cross pulled Allen back to him before the boy could stray too far from his bedside. Allen leaned back against his chest, as one of Cross' arms wound about the boy's waist. He kissed Allen's cheek repeatedly, and the younger boy laughed lightly at the slightly scratchy feeling of Cross' chin hairs.

"Are you in a good mood today, Master?" Allen asked, though it sounded a bit more like a statement than a question. Was he in a good mood? Of course he was in a good mood! Cross nodded against Allen's cheek.

"Very much so. Do you know what would make this morning better?" Cross asked, thinking that some fine wine would complement his mood perfectly. He knew Allen would catch his drift, the boy always did.

"Staying sober until lunch, at least?" Allen offered, denying Cross his liquor in a roundabout way. Cross hadn't had that much to drink the night before, so he hardly had a hangover, and to Cross it felt like nothing more than a common headache, but Allen would still prefer it if his master abstained from alcohol for at least a few hours. Drinking so much really couldn't be healthy.

Cross sighed, thinking that Allen never let him have his fun, though at the same time knowing that the boy was just looking out for him.

"I'll prepare a bottle from a good year for your lunch, so don't get too disappointed," Allen soothed, knowing that Cross would probably be perfectly fine by the time he was finished bathing.

Cross nodded his consent, though he wondered why he let Allen make certain decisions for him when he could simply demand some good liquor. Maybe it was because Allen knew what was best for him better than he did, and he knew it? Or maybe it was because he lorded over Allen enough in their personal life, so the least he could do was not act too overly-spoiled in his daily life? Not to say he wasn't spoiled enough as it was, but he was only about as bad as the average nobleman, or so he thought.

Cross moved himself out of bed and headed toward his bath, ready to spend the day without worries.

000

Without realizing it, meeting Tyki had become almost a regular occurrence for Allen, they saw each other nearly every day. Neither of them thought much of it, both just treated it as a coincidence that the paths they walked daily crossed. That's all it was, most likely, it was probably only by chance that they started to see each other so often after just getting acquainted. It seemed natural that people who knew each other would at least greet each other and chat if they had the time. And well, Tyki always had enough time to talk, and being the kind soul he was, often helped Allen with his errands to make more time for friendly conversation. Allen couldn't help but think that if he hadn't been saved from those ruffians that day one, two, three months before, he would've missed out on meeting a very kind and interesting person.

Even though they saw each other often enough, they still acted as though they didn't know each other whenever they met anywhere other than town. At parties and noble gatherings, Allen acted as though he couldn't see him, and Tyki took the boy's lead by not acknowledging him, and in the few times he'd seen Lavi since that first meeting, Allen had never said anything about it. Allen himself was starting to wonder why he needed to keep their knowing each other a secret, it wasn't like he wasn't allowed to have friends, and as a matter of fact he was friendly with almost everyone who worked at the manor. Maybe he was just worried because this friend wasn't under Master Cross' employ? Or because he felt it would just plain annoy Cross? That was plenty possible. Allen decided he was being foolish about the whole thing, and while there was no reason to keep it a secret, there was no reason to broadcast it either.

000

It was yet another one of those days, where Allen lost track of time and ended up in a panic, worried he'd be late in returning home. Tyki had realized by now that when Allen started panicking, it was indeed because he was going to be late, though Allen had never expressly said that. Tyki seemed oddly observant to Allen, but he brushed it off as simply being Tyki's way; he never gave a thought to the idea that maybe Tyki could just be unusually observant of _him._ Tyki quickly got a little coach for them, and while Allen insisted that he didn't have to, he thanked Tyki profusely for it all the while. This was just another routine by now.

"It's somewhat strange, how a person as punctual as yourself can lose track of the time so easily," Tyki commented, as he helped Allen into the passenger cabin. Allen gave a half-hearted huff of embarrassment.

"It just seems like I have more time now, for some reason." _'Because I don't have to worry about being accosted anymore.' _Allen had to admit, he was thankful that no one seemed to want to come up against Tyki, whether it was because he was respected or feared Allen didn't know nor did he particularly care. What was convenient was convenient, right?

"Hm, well I suppose you'll just have to start remembering how much time you really have." Tyki stomped out his cigarette before entering the cabin himself and shutting the door. Allen found it curious how after that first time, Tyki made a point of not smoking when they shared a cab. Allen had said he was fine with it, but Tyki was simply too courteous to take advantage of Allen's kindness, and had refrained from smoking after that first time. Allen, though he didn't want to say anything about it aloud, was very thankful for this, it seemed like the distinct smell of Tyki's brand only really clung to him when they were in an enclosed space like this. He'd also recently realized that Tyki had been going out of his way to keep Allen out of his line of smoke. Allen was grateful for that too.

"Though I never really did understand why people smoke..." Allen murmured to himself off-handedly. Maybe it was childish of him to not understand, he had always wondered about it, but never felt the urge to do any research on the matter. He wondered why people drank too, and invested time and money into other destructive habits, but he doubted he'd ever get a satisfying answer if he ever asked anyone about those things.

Tyki heard Allen's comment, and gave the boy a questioning glance, wondering where that had come from. Still, despite how Allen had obviously been talking to himself, Tyki decided he'd answer the boy's unasked question to the best of his ability.

"People smoke because they make a mistake. They either make the mistake of trying it in the first place, or they start smoking as a way to relieve themselves of their other problems for a while. Do that long enough though, and anyone would get hooked. Then _it_ becomes the problem, I suppose." Tyki couldn't think of a much better answer than that. It was true enough, for him anyway. He'd spent most of his teen years not smoking, but then the moment he had officially taken the title of Earl, he felt the need to do _something_ to take the weight of his family's expectations off his shoulders. Cigarettes just happened to be there, and they happened to work at the time. Then when he realized he could handle things on his own and didn't need that crutch anymore, he found he couldn't put them down.

Allen gave a small squeak when he realized Tyki was giving him the answer to a question he hadn't meant to pose. He felt like a bit of a jerk, saying something like that, after all, it certainly wasn't his place to comment on anyone else's lifestyle or habits. Even as he felt guilty for asking, he also felt saddened by the answer he was given.

"Oh, well that's... rather sad. It's worrying to see people you care about doing self-destructive things. I ... can't help but be troubled by it sometimes... I mean- You do know that it ruins your mouth and breath, right? And if you've been smoking since you were what? 17? 18? And your 26 now, that's nearly ten years worth the tar in your lungs. Not to mention the problems it causes for your heart and memory..." In a split second, Allen had gone from sounding sincerely, adorably, maddeningly concerned to lecturing. It seemed like such a natural transition for Allen that Tyki didn't even question it. He didn't have to either, for Allen had caught himself in the middle of his rant.

"I-I'm so sorry! I honestly didn't mean to badger you this way... How rude of me. I'm sorry, really! It's just... I kind of go through a conversation like this with someone close to me often, and ended up going on a tangent like I always do...I'm sorry, I know it's troublesome to listen to." Tyki blinked once, then twice, before shaking his head.

"No, no, it's quite all right. I'm flattered you care enough to lecture me." Tyki couldn't think of much more to say than that, despite his usually talkative nature. Allen had taken him so off-guard with that saintly worried expression of his, his sincere concern troubled Tyki more than the ranting did, he couldn't stand to think that he'd made such a lovely and pure creature worry over him. He was suddenly seized with the urge to throw his cigarettes out the window. Tyki was amazed to hear that there was a person on this earth that could still stand to smoke with a clear conscience after having Allen say something like that to them. And to be able to withstand the boy doing that repeatedly without swearing off every drug under the sun! Goodness, what kind of person could do that?

"And I suppose whoever you usually say that to must feel quite cared for, too." At this, Allen looked down at his hands, which were politely folded in his lap. His lips curved into an odd, almost shy smile, and his lowered eyes, though they seemed focused on his lap, held the far-off gaze of one whose eyes weren't seeing what was before them, but instead gazing lovingly at a dear face.

"Yes...well, I hope they do. That person is very important to me." Tyki wasn't sure what to do with that information, or if Allen even realized he was speaking still. Part of his mind wanted to dwell on it, and become jealous and miserable over it. He also felt the urge to pry and ask about this person, who Allen deemed worthy of his care and concern. But, knowing it was not his place to ask or feel any of that, he simply nodded and patted the boy's shoulder reassuringly.

"I'm sure they know you do, it's quite obvious you care," he said, with a gentle smile.

'_At least my tongue doesn't betray me when my own mind does!'_ Tyki continued to kick himself around in his head, berating himself for his weakness and for having an unholy and illegal attraction to a 15-year-old boy.

Allen blushed at Tyki's reassurance, embarrassed to hear that he was so obvious. Before the impending awkwardness of the situation could crash down on them, the carriage pulled to a stop. Allen descended the steps to the cab slowly, before turning back to face Tyki.

"Thank you Tyki, I'll see you around," he said, with a smile that held all the worlds' innocence and sincerity. Tyki felt most unworthy of the honor.

000

Komui was walking toward the front gates of the manor, ready to go on a little afternoon stroll of his own, get some exercise, breathe in some fresh air, and all that. It was close to the time Allen usually got home, so he was looking forward to a hello and maybe a little bit of chit-chat, if Allen got home early. Allen was such a pleasant child, it was really difficult to _not_ look forward to seeing him. He was a bit like a younger brother to Komui, and quite possibly the only person he hadn't tried to kill for asking if he could marry Lenalee (granted that at the time, the two of them had been maybe six or seven, and seeing the two blushing children with little flower rings on was probably the cutest thing Komui had ever seen, and therefore he couldn't actually bring himself to harm the boy. He did later cry over the thought of his dear Lenalee being taken away from him though).

He didn't, however, expect Allen to arrive before the gate in a carriage, though it wasn't surprising to find that Allen would use one to arrive home on time. Still, as normal as that would've been, he couldn't imagine that it would be normal under any circumstances for Allen to be riding with another man, or that he'd be blushing a fair shade of pink when he left the cab. Komui couldn't see the man's face clearly, but he looked to be a good deal taller than Allen. The white haired boy turned back to say something to the other passenger, and Komui unconsciously moved forward. All he caught of what Allen said though was: "I'll see you around."

Suspicious. How very, very suspicious. Not that Komui wasn't all for the idea of Allen having friends outside the manor, and maybe, eventually, standing up against Cross' control of him, but Komui also worried about how that would negatively affect the master's mental security if that were to happen. It was hard to believe that Cross' confidence could be shaken so easily, but when it came to the few people he actually cared for, even things like this could have a huge effect.

The cab door closed, and it took off, leaving Allen behind to turn around and realize that Komui had just borne witness to what had just happened.

"Oh! Good morning, Komui. It's nice to see you out of the lab, for once," Allen greeted, sounding not the least bit worried about Komui's having seen him get out of a carriage that had a strange man in it. Komui figured that meant it mustn't have been very important, but he still had to ask about it.

"Who was that?" His tone wasn't accusing, just curious.

"Huh? Oh, that was just a friend of mine I bumped into on the way here, who offered me a ride home. Why do you ask?" Komui shrugged to the question, deciding that it really wasn't anything suspicious and that he had no reason to care besides.

"Just curious, it seems a bit unusual of you, is all." Allen just smiled awkwardly, as if to ask, "Whatever makes you say that?"

"Well, I suppose I'll see you later Komui, I have to get inside before Master Cross needs to be woken up!" Allen said cheerfully, with a hint of panic as he looked at his watch and saw he only had about 8 minutes to get everything together. Komui nodded with a smile in lieu of a farewell, and the two parted ways as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

However, they both forgot about the guard who'd watched the entire thing, and whose thoughts echoed Komui's earlier ones. How suspicious indeed.

000

Tyki sighed as he poked a half-empty cigarette box around the surface of the desk in his study.

"Something the matter, Master Tyki?" Lavi asked, noticing the Earl's downcast mood as he cleaned the room.

"Say, Lavi, what do you think about smoking?" Tyki asked, after maybe two hours of pondering the subject. He'd gotten home a while before, had his tea and thought over his decision to start smoking. Why did it feel like he'd been committing a crime all of these years? One scolding from Allen, and suddenly he felt much dirtier than he ever had.

'_This is truly ridiculous! So maybe I'm just a _bit_ infatuated with the boy, but I simply can't brood over every word he says like this! It's like he's controlling me without even meaning to! It's manipulative I say, downright manipulative!' _ Tyki had thought earlier, before rebelliously lighting a cigarette. But despite his determination not to let the memory of that innocently worried face control his actions, he couldn't stand to keep the cancer stick between his lips for more than a breath before taking it away from his mouth and jabbing the tip into a near-by ashtray.

Not quite sure what to do with himself, or how long he could go on like this before he physically needed a cigarette, Tyki had chosen to seek out the counsel of his butler, hence the odd question he had posed.

"What do I think about smoking?" Lavi repeated, giving Tyki a skeptic glance, before putting his finger to his lower lip in a look of thoughtfulness. "Well, nothing really. I mean, a lot of people smoke, _you_ smoke, it's just a fact of life, I guess. Never really thought much about it," Lavi said honestly, before continuing his work, He was currently reorganizing the books in Tyki's study, for the master had a bad habit of putting things back in the wrong places when he was thinking about something. He'd been coming home in this pondering mood more and more lately, so order had all but been destroyed in the study now. Lavi appreciated Tyki's efforts to try and make things easier for Lavi by cleaning up after himself, but honestly, Lavi would prefer it if the master just left the books he skimmed through in a pile somewhere, rather than trying to put them away himself while so distracted.

Tyki sighed at Lavi's response, wondering why he'd expected anything else from the honest butler, or if he'd had any expectations at all. Really, had he thought he'd get a response like Allen's from Lavi? The redhead and Allen may have been friends, but they were far from being similar, despite their loyalty to their respective houses and masters. Tyki would know, for he'd known Lavi for most of the young man's life. Lavi had been the grandson of the Mikk's last family butler, and had been left in his predecessor's care when his parents ran off somewhere. Since birth he'd been groomed to take over the position, and as far as he knew his parents had not abandoned him, but had died in an accident.

As children they had often played together; it was rather endearing the way Lavi had once followed him around like a little duckling. Of course, even back then Lavi's eyes had held a glint of mischief; he had his own personal brand of childish innocence back then. Tyki had found that the boy's little glint had grown during the years he'd been away, living as a commoner. It hadn't been that long after his return home though when Lavi had, for some reason, lost that little light for a while. Tyki never asked about that period of time or its cause, feeling it wasn't his place to pry.

He suspected though, that it had something to do with the young schoolmate Lavi had brought home once, one with pretty long black hair who'd only come over that one time. Tyki had never seen that child again after that spring day, but what he'd seen that afternoon made it very clear that Lavi and that child had been very close, as close as best friends could be, if not closer.

Tyki faintly wondered what happened to that child, anyway. Maybe the two had fought and simply never got over it, the way children so often do? Maybe the kid had died of some disease or other, these weren't the cleanest of times, and the child had looked like a bit of an urchin, too. Maybe they'd just lost contact after primary school, who knew? Well, Lavi did, obviously, but Tyki wouldn't feel right asking about it and opening an old wound that might still cause the boy pain.

_Never mind Lavi's private affairs, they hardly have to do with the matter at hand..._

The current problem was not Lavi's long-lost best friend, it was how long Tyki could stare down his pack of cigarettes before he either threw them out a window or smoked them all at once. Sighing yet again at this most inconvenient development, Tyki decided that maybe it was about time he cut down on his nicotine intake.

Lavi looked over at Tyki with concern, wondering about his master's strange behavior. Since when did Tyki bother to ask about such trivial matters? And why had his master not smoked more than one cigarette since he came home? And on a broader scale, why had the master been acting so oddly as of late? Some days he'd come home from his daily walk much happier than usual, much happier than someone who'd simply taken a walk should be, and other days he'd come home with a furrowed brow and a look of intense concentration. What could be happening, during those morning strolls through London town? What was Tyki doing every day that was causing him to act so unusually? Maybe Lavi would have to investigate the matter?

**This chapter was basically meant to show just how much of a hold Allen has on Tyki, and how quickly he achieved that. At this point, they've met far more than just three times, and Tyki's falling a lot harder than he wants to admit. ** **Also, take note of all the exchanges and people mentioned in this chapter, it's more important than it seems! **


	7. Touch

**This chapter has been in Saya's head for a while, but Saya hadn't expected it to pop up in the story so soon though. Oh well, it did fit rather well where it came in... **

**Disclaimer: Saya doesn't own the actors, just the script they're acting to.**

**Warnings: Rated M for sexual material en masse, and pedophilia, considering how both Cross and Tyki are much older than Allen. **

7. Touch

"What?"

"I just said you won't be seeing me around for a few months. I'm leaving tomorrow." Tyki blinked owlishly, as though he didn't understand the concept. So Allen was leaving? Where was he going, how long would he be gone? Why had he not been told this earlier, and why did it bother him so much that he had not been previously informed? Tyki shook his head as though that would rid him of his foolish thoughts. It wasn't as though Allen had some sort of obligation to tell him these things.

"I see, so where will you be off to?" Tyki asked conversationally, acting as though he _didn't_ want to convince Allen to somehow stay behind, if only to continue going on these morning walks together. Allen smiled at the question, oblivious to Tyki's thoughts on the matter; He was obviously looking forward to the trip.

"Venice. Master Cross owns a summer home there, and as his personal assistant, I must go with him. We leave tomorrow, and won't be back until the last week of August, most likely." Allen had always loved the beautiful City of Water, ever since he'd first been brought to the master's second estate by Mana. Maybe it was the lack of stagecoaches, automobiles, and all-around vehicle-congested roads, but the entire city seemed to be relaxed, as if there was never any need to rush.

"Oh, that sounds rather pleasant." Wait, August? It was only the second week of June, that was nearly three months time. Did Cross really intend to monopolize Allen for so long? Not that Tyki knew that was actually _exactly_ what Cross Marian was doing, but it definitely felt that way to him.

"It is. The city is beautiful, especially the canals. And at the summer home, all the servants are elderly grandparent-types, so for a younger worker like me it's really quite pleasant." Cross too, didn't seem to mind all the older servants fussing over him, though he always said he'd rather they didn't. Of course, Cross loved the canals too, but that was more or less because women just seemed to _love_ taking rides in gondolas with him in the moonlight. That trick seemed to work too well, you'd think the natives had never seen the canals before. Allen preferred to be left at port whenever his master did that. But Allen could understand, for he loved those rides too.

"It is a beautiful city though, isn't it? I remember going there once before," Tyki said, with the voice of one who was reminiscing about a very fond memory.

"Really?"

"Yes, back when I was a run-away, my group of four stowed away on a ship to France and eventually we wound up working there for a while."

"You worked in Venice? What did you do?"

"Gambled," Tyki said, looking far too proud of that fact; Allen didn't know whether or not he should laugh. It was comical, to think that someone of Tyki's wealth and stature had once gone to that beautiful city to gamble!

"That must've been quite a unique experience." Allen decided that was probably the best answer he could give on the subject. He still wanted to laugh, but thought it might be rude of him to laugh at someone's memory. Tyki chuckled and nodded.

"Indeed."

"We'll have to play a game or two sometime, then," Allen said, changing the subject just slightly. A bit of a mischievous glint lit up Allen's eyes, to which Tyki raised an elegant eyebrow.

"Do you play poker?" He asked, finding the idea of such an innocent-looking boy sitting at a table filled with shifty-eyed men laughable (and somewhat troubling, too). But then again... no one would ever expect that a boy like Allen, who looked as green as they come, to be able to pull anything off. That could be a dangerous weapon in the boy's hands.

"Yes. I'm nothing special when it comes to gambling, but what's there to lose when playing for the sake of the game?" In truth, Allen had gotten exceptionally bored once upon a time, and Mana had been there and equally bored. His father had taught him how to cheat like the best of them, and though he realized he'd never need such skills, and he never played for money (what need had he for that?), he was just a little too competitive to lose.

"Your pride, for one thing," Tyki thought aloud, because a game lost was a game lost, and a gambler's pride would suffer greatly, even if his wallet didn't.

"Got none. In any case, I'm a bit unlucky, so feel free to hold back a little." Tyki laughed at the request.

"All's fair in love and poker." The corners of Allen's lips turned up into a devious smirk.

"Indeed."

With the ending of their conversation came the grumbling of the skies. Tyki looked up, he could smell it in the air, the oncoming of a storm. The leaden skies showed that this assumption was correct, and the faint thunder he could hear rumbling in the distance proved without a doubt that a large storm was on the way. Any moment now, the winds would carry raindrops with them, and the two of them would be forced to take shelter. Tyki wouldn't have minded that so much, but judging by the way Allen was staring at his pocket watch as though he couldn't believe that it was already 11 told him that Allen needed to get home.

And oh, did he. Allen knew it would take at least a little less than a half hour to reach the manor on foot, and that was only if he ran all the way back home. Then he'd have to prepare the master's tonic and, well, the manor was not a small place by any standard, it would take time to get from the kitchens to the master's chambers. Not to mention that if it started to rain, he'd have to change before he saw the master. He wouldn't make it on time. Allen fretted. This was getting to be a horrible habit of his, this constant lateness. This was troubling, he'd have to break himself of it. Maybe he could get Komui to make a portable alarm of sorts for him? That would be useful.

Though Allen tried not to show his distress, it was already too late for Tyki had anticipated it the moment he'd seen the boy take out his pocket watch. He'd stared a little too long at the watch's face, closed it with a little too much force, and had shoved it back in his pocket as though it were something incriminating. Allen's eyes no longer looked straight ahead, but instead darted around the street, as though looking for a clear path to take. Yes, Allen definitely needed to get home.

Without quite thinking his choice though (what was there to think about, anyway?) Tyki grabbed the boy's hand and wove through the crowds of people who were steadily making their way indoors. At the end of the street there was an empty coach, looking as though it had been sent there just for them. For a moment, Tyki's heart seemed to jump into his throat at the almost-contact that wasn't really. Both he and Allen were wearing gloves, despite how the weather was getting warmer, so there was no direct skin-to-skin contact, but even so. Tyki did his best to ignore his quickening heartbeat and convince himself that it was only palpitating at such a rate because he was moving so quickly. In his efforts to act calm, he failed to notice Allen's flushed face.

"Um, ah...Tyki, what are we doing-" The two of them came to a sudden halt in front of the coach, and Allen understood. Tyki had noticed his panic, though he had tried his best to hide it. Tyki always noticed, and Allen wasn't sure what to think of that. It was flattering and yet somewhat questionable, but Allen didn't like to question people he trusted.

Tyki helped Allen into the passenger cab as always, and got in after him. Just as the door shut, the first few drops of rain fell, and as though that had been the straw that broke the camel's back, the storm broke out, with rain pounding the coach in a steady thrum. Allen sighed with relief as he leaned back in his seat, and took a deep breath to get his breathing back to normal.

"Good thing we didn't get caught in that. Thank you, Tyki," Allen said, as his eyes fluttered shut for a moment and the coach lurched forward as it began to move.

Tyki really wished Allen wouldn't do that. He looked far too beautiful and tempting, with that relaxed expression, the slight flush on his face, and his lips curled into a content, lovely smile. Tyki looked in the opposite direction.

"Yeah, good thing."

Allen opened his eyes when he heard the other's voice, and looked at Tyki worriedly. He suddenly sounded rather down, and Allen was concerned. He never would've imagined that it was he who was troubling Tyki, plaguing his thoughts and heart with problems and feelings he shouldn't have and had no use for.

"Tyki, are you all right?" Allen asked. The older man shook away his cluttered thoughts and turned to face Allen once again.

"Yes, I'm fine, why do you ask?"

"No reason in particular, you just sounded a little troubled." Tyki would have liked to tell Allen that yes, he was troubled. He would have liked to say that it was Allen, being there and kind and beautiful and so damned innocent yet alluring and Tyki just _couldn't_ describe what it was that made him want to be around Allen so much, and trying to find the words for it, so that at least he could understand it, was frustrating! Allen was the reason he couldn't think straight, he was what Tyki was denying himself. But he couldn't tell Allen that, he couldn't say a word about it.

But then again...why couldn't he? After all, Allen had just said he was leaving. Sure, it was only temporary, and just a little while ago Tyki had felt as though for those few months the world would come to a grinding halt (this was him being overly dramatic, yes), but now he was seeing this as an opportunity. Allen would be gone for three months, that was plenty of time to think over a confession, or just forget it completely if he wanted to reject it. Allen could leave, then come back and pretend nothing had ever happened, if he was so inclined to.

But wait-what was he thinking? Tyki couldn't do that, of course he couldn't. For one thing, Allen was over ten years his junior and (barely) under the legal age of consent, being in a relationship with Allen would make him a pedophile. For another thing, Allen was a boy, and while Tyki wasn't a practicing Christian or anything at all, really, that was still unnatural. Besides, Allen wasn't interested in him that way, and his occasional talks about some nameless important person only drove home that fact. If Allen held any romantic interest in anyone, it was that person. Tyki just couldn't say something that would ruin the one thing he was allowed to have with Allen; friendship, and that was all.

Allen was still looking at Tyki with those pale, wide eyes, concerned despite Tyki's insistence that he was fine.

"Are you sure? You seem to be thinking deeply on something. Is it anything you can talk with me about?"

_Don't make that face, don't say such things. I'm trying my best not to make any foolish decisions, but you're making it hard to do the right thing._

"I'm fine, really, I've just got a lot on my mind that I can't really explain well."

"Oh."

Allen turned to face forward, and there was a few moments of silence. From the corner of his eye, Tyki inspected the boy's profile, before noticing something on Allen's cheek. It was white, and shone dully in the little light that managed to make its way into the coach.

"Turn this way for a moment, would you?" Tyki asked, curious as to what that glittering thing was. Allen did as told, turning back to face Tyki with a confused expression. Upon closer inspection, Tyki discovered that it was an eyelash. Carefully, Tyki took the boy's cheek in his hand and gently wiped away the eyelash with his thumb.

Allen's eyes were wide with questioning, and he could feel his face heating up, unbidden by him.

"U-um..."

"This was on your cheek," Tyki explained, showing Allen the little white lash. Allen looked at it for a moment, and felt even more embarrassed. For a moment he had thought Tyki was going to... But of course not, and Allen wouldn't allow it anyway. He couldn't, right? But maybe whether or not anything actually happened wasn't the real problem. Allen chose not to think about that.

"Make a wish on it," Tyki said, and for a moment Allen didn't understand what he was talking about. "When an eyelash comes out, you put it on the back of your hand," Tyki explained, and held up one of Allen's hands, before putting the eyelash on the back of Allen's left hand. "Then you close your eyes and make a wish." Allen had never been one to believe in these sorts of things, but they were fun, sometimes. It was never bad to have a wish or two, so Allen saw no problem with playing along and did as told.

"Then you blow on it, but not too hard. If it's gone when you open your eyes, your wish will come true." Allen made his wish, and Tyki watched the lash floated into the air, before disappearing from sight.

Allen opened his eyes and smiled when he saw that the lash was gone. He lifted his eyes back up to Tyki's own, and suddenly found himself captured by those smoldering golden eyes. His voice died in his throat, he felt as though his vocal cords had been paralyzed. He had just realized that those eyes held something in them that he hadn't noticed before; something that was familiar, something that shouldn't have been there.

Allen wanted to look away, but found he couldn't. He looked like a frightened deer, and Tyki wasn't quite sure why. For some reason, he also found himself staring and not able to look away. Tyki had never dared to stare at Allen so boldly like this, and wondered if maybe his earlier thoughts were guiding his actions. But that hardly mattered because right now they were staring at each other as though it was impossible to look away.

Tyki was suddenly seized by the feeling that he could do anything at that moment and get away with it. Allen would let him. Why he thought this, he couldn't be sure, but he had this strong desire to take advantage of the moment. No, he was being sucked in by the very idea that maybe, for one moment, it might be acceptable for him to perhaps kiss those lips...

Tyki moved forward just a small bit, and Allen followed suit, surprisingly enough. His mind had all but shut down when he'd seen this move of approval, for some reason Allen seemed so much more enchanting, suddenly. Tyki moved closer yet again, leaving all of a few mere inches between them. They could feel each other's breath ghosting over their lips. His hand came up to Allen's face, and his fingers touched down over the boy's left temple for a moment, sliding down just a bit until his palm rested on the boy's cheek and his fingers were pushing the hair away from Allen's face. His hand caressed the boy's cheek lightly, and Allen leaned forward just a little more, giving into the touch that was so familiar-

Familiar because this was something that Cross did all the time, just before he was going to kiss Allen. The spell that had come over them was quickly and violently broken when Allen pulled away with his entire body, until his back hit the other side of the cabin. It suddenly felt too cramped, like Allen couldn't get enough space between them.

Tyki came back to his senses after this denial, and quickly looked away, berating himself once again. Goodness, he had just decided not to say anything about what he was thinking and feeling, and then he completely bypasses _speaking_ and tries to kiss the boy! But then, perhaps more alarming was the fact that Allen had almost let him. He wondered just why that was so alarming.

Tyki coughed into the awkward silence, as the coach pulled to a stop. Allen all but threw open the door and jumped out.

"Thanks for the ride, see you in three months!" He said hurriedly, before slamming the door with all the force of his embarrassment.

"Well, that could've gone better..." Tyki said with a sigh, and hoped that perhaps in three months time, Allen will have forgotten the incident.

000

Allen didn't bother shooting Kanda a glare when he ran past the guard. Said guard thought this and the fact that Allen hadn't given his escort a proper farewell as he usually did was abnormal. So, instead of shooting glares at the boy's back, Kanda pondered the reason for his superior's flustered state, but then decided it was really none of his concern.

Allen understood now. That strange glint in those molten eyes, his way of watching and noticing everything around and about Allen, the consideration he always showed, he understood it now. It was something he couldn't face, something he couldn't acknowledge, something he refused even to name.

But, for a moment, he had wanted to do all of that, and that was the problem. What had Allen been thinking? Going along with something like that! He should have backed away sooner, he should've slapped Tyki or something! But he hadn't. No, instead Allen had almost let Tyki kiss him and he couldn't understand why. Allen had to think over whether or not he actually would have let Tyki kiss him, and came to the horrifying conclusion that yes, had Tyki not done that one little thing, Allen would have. But it was that one little move made to push the hair away from his face, so similar to what Cross did all the time, that reminded Allen that the person he'd been with was not his master. Of course, the moment Allen had realized this, he had been disgusted with himself and pulled away.

How horrible he was, letting another man touch him the way his master did! _"Never let another person touch you how I will" _were the words his master had said to him, but well, that was what Allen had just let happen, wasn't it? Allen was just thankful that Tyki hadn't actually kissed him, Cross would've known if he had. Allen wasn't sure that he could face his master in- he looked at his watch again- 7 minutes. Could he do it at all? Could he look Cross in the eye and act as though nothing had happened, as though today had been a normal day?

But it hadn't been just another morning, to say so would be to lie to his master. But would it be lying if Cross never asked about it? But then Allen would be hiding things, and that seemed just as bad.

Allen's hands shook just a little as he prepared the master's tonic and placed everything he needed on a tray.

_Stop that. Calm down Allen, nothing will come of worrying about something that didn't completely happen, and spilling the master's tonic definitely won't solve anything._

Allen took a deep, calming breath and forced his hands to stop shaking. Then, he left the kitchen looking as relaxed as he ever did.

000

Allen knocked at the door of his master's chambers before entering, as he did every morning out of politeness. The room was cast into shades of red as it always was. The walls were a dull ruby hue, and the shadows were a dark crimson. It was as beautiful as it had always been, and very suited to the master's personality. For once though, Allen wondered why the room had blood-colored shadows, if only for the sake of keeping his mind off the day's earlier events.

Allen walked across the room as he usually did, put the tray he was holding down on the bedside table as he usually did, and gently called for his master to wake as he usually did. It had to be a normal day, it just had to be. He decided it would be for the best to not mention what happened if he could help it, because he didn't want to anger Cross first thing in the morning by informing him of something that had hadn't even really happened. And he really didn't want to get Tyki involved with Cross in such a way, that was the last thing he wanted or needed. Tyki didn't deserve the trouble, and Cross didn't really need another headache.

The master rolled over to the other side of his bed, grabbed his mask off the bureau on that side, and sat up. He did that every morning, and sometimes he even fell asleep with the mask on. Allen had always wondered about it but had never dared to try and look at his face, or ask his master about his reasons for wearing the mask, or his reasons for never showing Allen what it hid. People hid things they were ashamed of, Allen understood that better than anyone. Sometimes when he was in a particularly foul mood, he thought it was unfair that Cross had seen his arm and yet Allen had never even seen his master's whole face. How could Allen be expected to trust someone who never showed their face? (Not to say Allen didn't trust Cross, but that didn't make it any less unfair). Still, it was easier to just accept it as a fact of life, rather than dwell on it.

Cross swung his feet over the edge of the bed, and beckoned Allen over with his hand. Allen suppressed an involuntary shiver that arose when he saw the look in his master's eye. It was far too similar to the look he'd just seen in... someone else's eyes. No, now wasn't the time to think about it, if he did that now he would just end up saying or doing something foolish.

He took a step forward, and for a moment felt his heart stop beating, then beat faster than before. His master's hand was coming towards his face, his fingers brushing over his left temple, his palm resting on Allen's cheek, his fingers slowly threading though his hair, pushing it away from his face. The places he had been touched before still felt warm on Allen's skin, and it felt as though Cross were retracing the area Tyki had touched before. The imitation was so perfect that Allen wondered if a trail or mark had been left on his skin.

Something in Allen broke. He felt as though he had betrayed his master. Betrayed him because something had almost happened, because he'd almost _allowed_ something to happen, because he had anticipated it and if it had happened he knew that he would've enjoyed it. Allen had never come so close to disobeying his master before, and never before had he wanted to so much.

Allen bowed his head, hiding his face from his master's view. Cross' eyes took on a confused glint, and his hand moved down to the boy's chin so that he could lift his face up once again. Allen's eyes were damp, which immediately alarmed Cross. He'd only just woken up, so he couldn't imagine what he had done to upset Allen already. But maybe all it was, was just Allen waking him up late and expecting to be reprimanded? But Allen knew better than that, he knew Cross wouldn't be so horribly annoyed by that. Besides, it didn't feel late, so he doubted that was the problem.

But that didn't matter, because those dewy eyes were getting wetter and tears were forming and getting ready to break past those white-lashed lids and fall. Cross had no idea what to do because he rarely ever dealt with crying people, and it was _Allen_. He'd only seen the boy cry once, when Mana had died. Cross didn't know how to properly deal with it then, and he sure as hell didn't know what he should do now, especially since this seemed so out of the blue. Somehow though, this scenario seemed so very familiar that it filled Cross with dread and concern.

"I'm sorry Master..." was all Allen would say, and with that sob-choked voice, it was almost the echo of the only other apology that Cross had ever bothered to remember.

"_I'm sorry Cross..."_

Cross pulled the upset boy closer to him, and wrapped him in what he hoped was a comforting embrace. Allen mumbled into the crook of his neck, but Cross couldn't understand any of it, so he just ran his hand over the back of Allen's hair, and hoped that the situation wasn't as bad as his premonition made it seem.

**Allen seems too emotional at the end, Saya thinks, but at the same time he also seems like the type of person who wouldn't take betraying another person lightly. Still...this entire chapter (excluding the whole Venice thing) has been in Saya's mind for so long...she's glad she got it out finally. **


	8. Story Telling

**Still missing that blasted L key… why? Why on Earth did the previous owner of this pc (read: big sister) have to lose a key? Why was it never properly replaced? Oh, Saya's finger…! **

**Disclaimer: Saya doesn't own the actors, just the script they're acting to.**

**Warnings: Rated M for sexual material and pedophilia, considering how both Cross and Tyki are much older than Allen. **

8. Story-telling

They were leaving for Venice today, Cross and Allen were. They were off to beautiful Italy, to share a wonderful three months together as uninhibited lovers, or something to that affect, Komui figured. Cross was going to have a bloody good time worrying about absolutely nothing and he was perfectly intending to leave all of his work with Komui, as he had done every year since the Chinese man had come to be under his employ. It sort of pissed Komui off a bit, made him feel indignant. Jealous too, though over what he couldn't quite decide.

But the most annoying part of all was that just a few hours before what would undoubtedly be a wondrous voyage for Cross, that very man was in the lab with him, fretting over something or other that had happened when Komui had dared to look away from the man for one damn second. Allen was once again gone from the lab, he was most likely packing the few things the master would need for the trip over to Italy; Cross' summer home had everything he would need once he got there, he just needed a few changes of clothes and something to occupy his time during the trip there.

"So what'd you do this time?" Komui asked, preparing himself for whatever trivial concern Cross had now.

Cross was a bit offended by the tone of voice Komui was using with him. When had Komui started getting so sarcastic with him anyway? It was as though the younger man was angry with him. Then again, Cross supposed it was perfectly possible that Komui was annoyed, he probably didn't care to hear Cross drone on about his problems selfishly like this. Cross realized this, but he was indeed selfish by nature, so the notion was quickly tossed aside.

"I made Allen cry."

Komui quickly turned his face to Cross, his eyes wide with surprise. Allen never cried, he hadn't since Mana died, so what on earth had Cross said or done to elicit that response from the boy?

"Well, I'm not sure if it was really me or what, but… He woke me up yesterday morning like always, but the moment I touched him he just said "I'm sorry" and broke down on me," Cross explained, his brows knitting together as he recounted what had happened. Komui made a similar expression, what could have happened to make Allen cry? His mind swirled with a million worst-case scenarios, and Komui sincerely hoped that none of them were correct.

"Did he say anything? Did he tell you what happened when he came back to his senses?"

"No, but what was more troubling than the lack of reason was the way he apologized…for some reason, it reminded me of… of her," Cross admitted; Komui's eyebrows shot up together, this was undoubtedly the first time in years that Cross had mentioned her himself, without Komui speaking of her first.

"What do you mean? You used to say that they were nothing alike, at first that was your whole reason for liking him, and now you're saying Allen reminds you of… of Maria?"

Maria-the name that had been taboo in the Marian household for nearly 7 years now, the name of the only woman Cross had ever given his heart to. The woman whom Komui suspected had taken that very heart with her to the grave. The name was familiar to his tongue in the same way food was to a malnourished person; the mouth remembered it, but only faintly, as though it were a phantom on his pallet.

"I know, I know, and to that affect, they're still completely different, but… There was just something about the unexpectedness of it all that reminded me of what happened back then." Cross sighed wearily, he didn't want to deal with this again, he didn't know if he could, and it was a rare thing for Cross to be unsure of himself.

"Are you worried that Allen will leave?" Komui asked, as though the idea was preposterous. Allen would never leave the manor or Cross, the boy was far too attached, unhealthily so. Cross was just being foolish now, certainly. This was so unlike the over-confident master though, doubting Allen! Heck, Cross was doubting his own ability to charm and amore people in general, wasn't he?

Sadly though, Cross didn't seem to share Komui's sentiments, and Komui could understand that. No one had expected Maria to leave either, but then again, she and Allen were on two opposite sides of the spectrum in terms of loyalty. Komui sighed in a disappointed manner.

"Cross, you've nothing to fear, alright? The situation may seem similar, but Maria and Allen are different, completely so. For starters, Maria was as much of a man-eater as you are a womanizer, she had a previous lover to actually leave with. Allen, on the other hand, is sorely lacking in that department. Besides, he's a great deal more focused on you than she was. Have some faith in the kid. If it's really bothering you, then tell him about it. I'm sure he'd understand your worries if you just explained them to him, and he'd assure you there's nothing to fear."

Cross nodded, before placing his face in his hand. "You're right; I'm getting paranoid over nothing…"

"Exactly. You're Cross Marian, for goodness sakes; there are maybe only one in a million people who could walk away from you. And in any case, even if you ever do end up without a real lover, at least I'll still be around for you to come crying to," Komui said, staring intently at the beaker he had in hand, he didn't think he could look Cross in the face. Cross huffed a bit at that last remark.

"I wouldn't cry," Cross said, scowling.

"Perhaps that's the problem?" Komui muttered under his breath. The statement went unheard by Cross.

000

Agitation was ill befitting of Tyki Mikk. In an attempt to make it seem as though nothing was amiss, he'd gone out on his usual morning walk. But it wasn't his usual morning walk now, Allen wasn't there. Worse yet, he knew exactly where Allen was and that made jealousy surge through Tyki like nothing else had. It felt as though Allen were choosing Cross over him; and he was, of course, Allen's master had to come before everyone. Though Tyki didn't want to think such things, his mind wouldn't stop torturing him with ideas and scenarios that were decidedly not-platonic. Tyki knew that if he were in Cross' place, he wouldn't be able to resist taking advantage.

Feeling more annoyed than he could ever remember being, Tyki briskly walked to his study, fell into his desk chair, and grabbed his cigarettes. He took out three and lit them all; who's afraid of a bit of cancer?

Lavi was left speechless for a moment when he saw this, but quickly regained his bearings and stormed into the room. Quickly snatching two out if the three cigarettes, he gave his master a disapproving and confused look. Tyki had been slowly quitting smoking, decreasing the amount he smoked a day, and while Lavi had no idea what had brought about the sudden change, he was thankful for it. He would understand if maybe Tyki was just craving cigarettes, but smoking three at once was just ridiculous.

"Master, you may be going through withdrawal, but that's hardly a reason to storm around like a child and shove three coffin nails in your mouth," Lavi said in a scolding manner, but he was immediately taken aback when he saw his master's expression. Tyki was pissed, and Lavi wasn't sure if it was his fault or not. Without thinking, he took a step back.

Lavi had never had the displeasure of dealing with Tyki when he looked so…well, he looked ready to bite someone's head off. Lavi had no desire to lose his head.

"Um…sir, is there something you'd like to talk about? You seem upset," Lavi said, trying to sound polite. He couldn't imagine what had happened on his master's morning walk that could anger the man so.

"It's nothing, I just…need some time to cool down, if you don't mind," Tyki said, sighing at his own inability to control his emotions. There was no need for him to scare his own assistant.

"If you're sure, Master…" Lavi said, sounding anything but. Tyki nodded and dismissed the younger man. Sighing, he held his face in his hands; God, he was a fool. He had no business being possessive of someone who was not his. He also had no real reason to believe that Allen had anything more than a master/servant relationship with Cross Marian. There was no reason to be upset, so why did he feel so angry?

The summer was going to be so long.

000

The walls were a pale, cerulean blue, as were the sheer curtains that hung around the four-poster bed. The beautiful sheets of a dark royal blue color shone dully in the morning light that could only ever complement the room's colors. Calming, that's what this room was.

Allen found waking up in this room a bit disconcerting at first. They were in Venice now, they had arrived the evening before, too worn and tired from their three-day trip to do much more than drop their things in a corner and fall into bed together. Sleep had been quick to join them.

Now as Allen's eyes took in the pale light of the room, he wished he could close them and go back to sleep. Then he remembered that he could actually do that; after all, this was as much his vacation as it was Cross'. At this house, there was someone else here who took care of the house and kept everything running; all Allen had to do was take care of his master and his master exclusively.

A moment after Allen woke, he felt a hand softly petting his hair, and without thinking he leaned into the contact, feeling very much like a content cat. He felt heavy with sleep and he didn't much fancy the idea of being active yet. Cross however, didn't seem to share those sentiments exactly.

The older man sighed, and ran his free hand through his own hair, grimacing at the dirty feel. If there was one thing Cross hated above all else when it came to traveling, it was how dirty it made him. Any bath that wasn't his own was automatically too dirty to really clean him, and usually made him feel even more contaminated.

"I can't believe we slept when we're so disgusting," he said with a groan. Allen let out a little chuckle; it was just like his master to feel that way. Sighing, Allen sat up, and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Cross did the same a moment later, and the two of them left for the bath chamber.

Everything was a beautiful gray and white color in this room, and the bath was more like a pool than a bath. It was made of white marble and was built into the floor. It was three feet deep and five feet in either direction. The water had already been changed for the day, and was steaming hot, made translucent with bath oils. All in all, it looked inviting. It hardly took a moment for the two to strip and submerge themselves in the water.

"My favorite part of this house is most definitely the bath," Cross said with a sigh. Allen made a content little noise in agreement as he leaned against the side of the bath. This was wonderful, he was free to let his mind wander, and he was leaving England and all of the problems that had come up there behind. Allen sunk under the water a bit more and blew some bubbles in the water.

"How childish," Cross commented, an interesting little smirk on his face. Allen sat up straight and huffed.

"There's nothing wrong with me being a bit childish."

"I never said there was. I was thinking it was cute, it's not often that you seem like a kid anymore," Cross said, and vaguely, Allen noted he sounded a bit guilty.

"It's not often that I feel like acting as one," Allen replied. He sunk back into the water again, but this time he kept his face above the surface. For a moment they just silently took pleasure in the clean feeling the water around them offered. Then Cross motioned for him to come over, and Allen curiously sat in front of his master.

"Turn around," Cross commanded, and Allen did. A moment later he was doused with hot water. Allen pouted a bit and attempted to blow a wet strand of hair out of his face.

"A bit of warning would be appreciated, Master," Allen commented dryly; Cross just chuckled a dumped another bucket of water on the kid's head. Once Allen was properly soaked, he reached to his left to pick up one of the bottles on the side of the bath. Allen was a bit surprised when he realized that for once it was Cross washing his hair instead of the other way around. It felt nice to feel his master's hands massaging sweet-scented oils into his scalp. Contentedly, Allen let out a little sigh.

"Allen, I've got… a bit of a story for you," Cross said suddenly. Allen inclined his head thoughtfully to show he was listening. Cross tried to stop himself from just saying a bunch of bullshit to get out of this situation, Komui had told him to tell Allen about that incident, and while he hated speaking about it, he supposed Allen did have some right to know.

"There was once a young man, who was just spectacular at everything he did and really he was just born to be beautiful." Allen chuckled and rolled his eyes; the only man Cross would ever compliment like that was himself.

"The young man was a noble, so it wasn't very unusual for him to be betrothed to someone almost from birth. The young man met his wife-to-be when he was just a child, as was she. They absolutely hated each other from the moment they met. Their entire childhood consisted of trying to best each other, and as they grew into teenagers they made it a point to lavish all of their attention on anyone but each other. She had her lovers and so did he. It was not until the young man's best friend pointed out that they were incredibly alike and nearly perfect for each other that they realized it themselves though."

Wait, so Cross had been married once? Well, engaged at least but…Allen had never known that, though he should've figured, Cross was a noble after all. And he'd had a wife who was…just like him, from the sounds of it. Vaguely Allen wondered how much criticism she had to put up with, women always had it worse than men when it came to matters of infidelity. Still… If Cross had a perfect fiancé, then where was she?

"Within the next year they had suddenly grown much closer, and had dropped all of their lovers, and even most of their bad habits. Within two years of that they had plans to be married. Before then, neither of the two thought they could be happy while tied down to someone else, but somehow the thought of being together wasn't so bad, as long as they were together in the end – Or at least, that's what the young man had thought.

"For a while it seemed that the feeling was mutual, but one day the woman just apologized out of the blue. The young man didn't understand why she had at the time, but he figured it out the next morning when he woke alone with nothing but a note explaining that she'd run off with the one lover that she couldn't let go of."

Allen's eyes couldn't have been wider. So there was actually a woman in the world that could leave Cross? It seemed so bizarre; Allen wondered why the world hadn't imploded in on itself. He closed his eyes tightly when he heard Cross gather up another bucket of water to dump over his head; this time it was intended to rinse him off.

"Over the next year, the young man dove headfirst back into his old habits, and at first he hardly noticed that his trusted butler had gained a second shadow. But he did, eventually, because it was hard not to notice the oddly colored squirt. Especially when said squirt glared at him every morning, and wondered aloud in his little cockney accent why on earth his surrogate father bothered to wait on the young man."

Allen huffed a bit at Cross' description of him, there was no need to call him a squirt, he hadn't been that short, surely. The white-haired teen realized that the story was not yet finished though, and wondered what had happened in the past 8 or so years right under his nose that he had not noticed.

"At that time, the young man couldn't help but compare everything the little kid did to what she had done when she was young. It was understandable- or so said the best friend- the kid had come in just as the woman had left. At first the two were startlingly alike, which annoyed the young man to no end, but it didn't take more than a year for the child to change into someone completely different. He became her opposite, in essence, the one person the young man could look at without being reminded of the woman who had left. He hadn't been here when she had left, he didn't look at the young man with pity, and he had no ties with her at all, really. It wasn't long before the young man was intrigued, if for no other reason than because this new person was safe, in a way."

Allen pondered over the meaning of this story as Cross got a soapy washcloth and started rubbing small circles over his back. It felt nice, and thankfully it kept Allen's mind from going down a particularly depressing path.

"But then, just two years after she'd gone and the young man was finally ready to give up the ghost and move on, he received a letter. The man whom she thought had been the better choice had been the wrong choice. She was a woman with a past of infidelity, and her lover didn't trust her now that he had her. He turned abusive and well, she'd never been the kind of woman who'd take something like that without saying anything. She intended to steal away by night and return to the young man, if he'd still have her.

"He still would, indeed. On the day that they were supposed to meet to bring her back home though, something terrible happened. Her lover had caught up with her and murdered her in the street. It was an ill-befitting death for her. The young man had made it to their meeting place on time only to watch as the paramedics carried away her body.

"The lover was apprehended, but the young man still blamed himself for her death. If he had only gotten to their meeting place earlier, he could've saved her, if only he had held onto her tighter, made it so that she couldn't leave the safety of his home in the first place, if only he had realized earlier that there had been someone planning to take her away… She would've lived, he was sure of it.

"And so her name became a taboo in his home, and the only two with the guts to speak of her were the butler and the best friend. The squirt was slowly growing into a refined young man, and thankfully he was still a safe person who knew nothing of the incident. Years passed and the butler died. Along with the butler went his son."

Allen stiffened under Cross' hands. He was definitely still alive, and Allen really hoped that Cross wasn't old enough to have had two butlers with sons die on him. Really, if two people Cross cared about in some abstract way or other died, then what did that say about Allen's future…? Perhaps this was his fair warning.

"Well, the boy didn't really die," Cross said in response to Allen's sudden tenseness, "But he was like the living dead. Now the kid was reminding the young man of himself, and he couldn't help but want to change that. He felt something akin to empathy with the boy. He couldn't just leave the boy like that, so for reasons unknown even to himself at the time, he offered to take the place of that boy's important person. Really though, the young man just needed someone to be her replacement. The boy accepted, and the two of them became stand-ins for someone else.

"Eventually though, the young man began to see the boy as more than just a replacement, and the child became truly dear to him. However, even though the boy was the woman's opposite in every way, the young man couldn't help but feel anxious now that there was someone close to him again. Would this person run off? Would this person die? Without realizing it, the young man began tightening his grip on the boy, and despite what the best friend said on the matter, the man couldn't loosen his hold on the boy. And so the story went and still goes… Crappy ending, hm?"

Allen's head was swimming. He had been a replacement? Well, he supposed it was only fair, seeing as Cross had taken up the place Mana had in him, though he did so in a completely different way, of course. Still, it hurt to know that. And who was that woman, anyway? Who was she that she could mean so much to Cross Marian? He'd loved her enough to give up womanizing and even his other bad habits, if the story was anything to go by.

Allen couldn't help but think that Cross didn't care for him nearly as much as he had cared about her. It was stupid to be envious of a dead woman, but he couldn't help himself. He'd been trying to get his master to quit drinking and smoking for years, but to no avail, and yet this woman had made him drop both in a year's time! Allen had never even imagined that it would be possible to get Cross to stop womanizing too, really he felt that was just plain impossible because Cross was a borderline nymphomaniac and Allen didn't think he could keep up with that on his own. Yet this woman (who perhaps had the same addiction to sex that Cross had) had gotten him to drop all of his lovers.

Even if Cross did care for Allen as much as he had cared about her, at the very least it was in a different, more guarded way. Still, Allen couldn't get hung up on that. That woman was dead, and now it was Allen whom his master needed to keep close. Allen decided then that he would not do what she had done. He would not make her mistake.

Naturally that made Allen think of Tyki. He'd have to stop seeing the man. Even if he did enjoy the older man's company, it was dangerous to stay around him. Last they'd seen each other Tyki had tried to kiss him, after all, and Allen had nearly kissed him back. It was one of those temptations that he would be better just cutting out of his life. His master had to come first.

At the end of all of his thinking though, Allen finally came to a conclusion on why Cross had told him this. He wasn't trying to justify himself, but it was clear that he was trying to explain why he was always so possessive of Allen. Cross just didn't want him to go away, he didn't want something horrible to happen to him, he just didn't want to lose Allen. He just wanted Allen to know why he kept him on such a short leash.

And that was the thought that made Allen turn around to face his master even though he had not been told to.

"I'm not her, Master," Allen said quietly, looking his master intently in the eye. He got to his knees and leaned over, pressing his lips softly to Cross' forehead. "I won't leave, I swear it."

At that time Allen had been certain he could keep his promise.

000

As the two got out of the bath an hour later, Allen decided to ask the question that had been bugging him ever since he'd heard that story.

"Um…Master Cross?"

"Yes, Allen?"

"You mentioned that a "best friend" knew something about us… Does that mean Komui knows?" Allen asked, wondering how he'd ever be able to look the Chinese man in the eye again. Oh goodness, all of these years he'd acted under the pretense that Komui hadn't known and yet all along the man had been making comments on their relationship…! It was strangely mortifying.

"Ashamed of your own lover, Allen?" Cross asked teasingly, and Allen vigorously shook his head. He wasn't ashamed, it was just that he imagined it would be very easy for anyone who knew to misunderstand the situation. Most people would think he'd gotten his job by sleeping with his boss, and both his and Cross' reputations would be dragged through the mud.

"Not at all Cross!"

"I know. In any case, he does know, but I didn't tell him. We've known each other since we were teens, and he'd taken care of you like you were his brother since the day you came to my home. He noticed the difference right away, and just flat-out asked me what had happened. Needless to say, he was quite pissed to find that his "precious little brother" had been deflowered. I was beaten severely for that one. And, in case you were wondering, that's what happened to Lab three."

"Lab three…? But didn't that…?"

"Precisely."

"Oh. _Oh_…"

Cross chuckled and threw a fluffy towel on Allen's head.

000

For once, it was Lavi who was out for a walk instead of Tyki. He didn't get why, but suddenly Tyki had decided not to go on his beloved morning walks anymore. A lot had changed about Tyki recently. He was moody, for one; he was quick to anger, but then Lavi couldn't even get angry back because the next moment he would be in the throws of despair. It was so unusual for Tyki to act in such an erratic way, Lavi just couldn't understand it. Maybe it was just withdrawal making him cranky? Lavi hoped that was it.

But, in any case, this had been going on for a good two weeks, and someone had to do the things that Tyki usually did in the mornings, so Lavi decided it only made sense that he do those things. Well of course, now he was finished with all of those things. Honestly, he had no idea how Tyki could drag out those few simple errands into hours. Lavi also could not understand what would happen on a walk that would make Tyki come home in such strange moods all of the time.

In any case, he had extra time now to do with what he pleased. As he walked down the road he realized he was pretty close to the Marian estate. If he was not mistaken, Lenalee worked and lived there. Lavi hadn't seen her very often since their primary school days, but every once in a while they would see each other on the streets and talk for a bit, and they still wrote to each other. Lavi had never visited her at her home, because he didn't want her psychopath of an older brother to kill him while under the impression that Lavi was a potential suitor…

But maybe today he could do that?

With the idea of visiting his old friend on his mind, Lavi happily made his way to the Marian estate. It stood out quite grandly on the horizon, though it's large, elegant gates deterred Lavi just a bit. Would he even be allowed in without a proper reason? Oh goodness, there was even a guard! Though wait… Lavi squinted hard in the direction of the guard.

Thin frame, long hair, and as Lavi got closer he noticed that the person's face was fairly pretty though it was still not clear to him yet. Was the guard a woman? When Lavi was about three meters away, he realized that the guard was definitely not a woman. Skinny as he was, he was far too flat to be a woman, and from what Lavi could see, he seemed to have a more wiry build than feminine. His face was pretty and a bit androgynous, with lovely slanted eyes, but he was definitely a man.

A familiar man at that, but the redhead just couldn't place it. He wasn't the only one who felt that way it seemed, as the man gave him a surprised look of recognition. Apparently, he found Lavi much easier to identify. Lavi thought hard, trying to think of where he would've met this boy. A pretty Asian boy, who worked at the Marian manor and appeared to be about his age…

"Holy Hell, _Yuu_?" Lavi asked, looking completely taken aback. He hadn't seen Yuu since a little after they'd gotten out of primary school! At that time Kanda had been living off the streets, so they had lost contact after primary school. Lavi had never really understood why Kanda had never bothered to visit him at the Mikk household, at least he hadn't until he'd lost an eye in an unfortunate accident that had followed after he had brought Kanda there himself once.

Kanda's eyes couldn't have been wider as he stared at the redhead. So it really was Lavi? He had thought the man had just forgotten about him over the years, he'd almost hoped the redhead would. What was he doing here though? Maybe he was here for Lenalee? Kanda knew that the girl, who had also gone to primary school with them, still talked with Lavi and she occasionally asked why Kanda never tried to contact him after he had gotten his job at the Marian manor.

"Lavi…? What are you doing here?" Kanda asked, for this had never happened before. Instead of answering Kanda's question, Lavi pouted for a moment before all but launching himself at Kanda, embracing the boy in a bear hug. Kanda was stunned, he couldn't remember the last time he'd been hugged, or touched by another human being for that matter. He'd been taken almost directly off the streets and brought to the manor by Lenalee, and no one wanted to touch an irate street rat with murderous impulses. Yet here Lavi was, hugging him like they were the best of friends and hadn't been out of contact for the better part of a decade.

"Geez Yuu! If you've been livin' here this whole time, why did you never bother to contact me? A call, a letter, a message sent through Lenalee, anything would've been nice! Honestly I had no idea where you were, I had no idea how to find you!" Lavi scolded, pulling away from the still-shocked Kanda to give him an upset look. "Or was it that you just didn't wanna see me?"

Kanda was still just a bit too overwhelmed to really speak at the moment, so he just blinked until he felt he could open his mouth without making an ass of himself.

"I… It wasn't that," was all he could manage to say. He had missed Lavi, of course he had, the redhead had been the first person to show him kindness when he'd been brought to England against his will, they'd been so close… But he had just assumed that when he'd left, Lavi would go on with life and forget him.

"Good, 'cause I'd have been most offended if that were the case," Lavi said with a light, teasing tone, as though he wouldn't have believed Kanda even if he had said that was the case. Not caring that he was dressed in his nicely tailored clothes, or that he was probably getting in Kanda's way, Lavi took a seat on the ground near the front gate.

"Hey, you can't just sit around like that," Kanda pointed out, but Lavi just laughed it off.

"Fine then, talk to me. I'm sure if you are then I can be allowed to stick around? I wanna know what happened Yuu, after you left," Lavi said, and he looked up at Kanda with such genuine care and joy that the raven-haired man couldn't help but do as told.

**Oh, like Saya could really keep these two out of a story D: Saya's thinking that for the next few chapters she's going to do background story. She's got Kanda's past and Komui's and Lenalee's all planned out to perfection, really, and she's just dying to type them up and post them as side-story parts. They'll really tie all of these background characters together, and bring a bit of depth to the story, even though they'll probably seem pointless at first. Besides, nothing particularly eventful is going to happen while Cross and Allen are away so… they can act as transition chapters between their leaving England and their returning. Go past~! **


	9. Dependence

**Saya decided to do it, she decided to do some background chapters to sort of transition the time between Allen and Cross leaving England and their return. These chapters will probably be really long, because Saya is trying to shove entire lives into individual chapters. **

**Disclaimer: Saya doesn't own the actors, just the script they're acting to.**

**Warnings: Rated M for sexual material en masse, and pedophilia, considering how both Cross and Tyki are much older than Allen.**

9. Dependence

He was being followed, and he knew it. Kanda's sense of unease increased the longer he felt the presence of those strange foreigners behind him. He wasn't going to run unless his pursuers actually approached him, he was just going to casually walk to the police station. Yuu wouldn't risk having these people following him home, but the local authorities would probably be of some help.

Either his stalkers realized what he was doing and decided to act, or they were just fed up with following him, for they finally made a move to grab him. Kanda swore under his breath (swears he'd heard his father mutter while doing bills), and ducked out of his potential captors' reach. He had no idea why these people were after him, he was just shopping for his mother. It wasn't like he'd done anything to annoy these people.

The market was pretty crowded, and Kanda, being all of 5 years old, had the advantage in this situation because he could move easily in the mass of bodies. His burly pursuers couldn't move with the same ease he could. Internally, he groaned when he realized that he was quickly making his way to an area with a lower concentration of people. He was getting tired, too, and he wondered if he'd make it to the station before those brutes caught him.

In the end, he couldn't make it. He felt a thick arm wrap around his waist and a large hand covered most of his face. There was a cloth in the man's hand. It smelled a bit funny. Kanda wondered how long he could go without breathing, he was wary of taking in a breath of whatever was on the cloth. If he struggled enough maybe he could escape before he got light-headed. He couldn't get out of this person's grip though, and he could feel himself being lifted off the ground. Finally he needed to breathe and tried to take as small a breath as he could. It seemed hopeless though, he was getting woozy and spots were appearing in his vision.

Soon enough he stopped struggling and passed out.

000

When he opened his eyes, he was in a dark room. He felt like he'd been manhandled and he didn't like it. There was some rustling coming from somewhere to his left, and as his eyes adjusted to the dark, he looked over to see what seemed to be a group of children like himself. Slowly he got up, though it was a bit painful, he felt as though he'd been beaten in his sleep and wondered how he didn't wake up.

"Who are you? Where are we? Do you know?" He asked, and for a moment he received no answer. He squinted his eyes to try and focus on the faces of the children, and realized that two of them looked like they were teenagers. There was about six of them, and Kanda wasn't really sure if they were boys or girls.

"We're on a ship," one of the older ones finally replied, voice indicating it was a man. "We're being brought to England."

"Why?" England? Where the hell was that? Kanda didn't know much about the world outside of his little town.

The other teen snorted, and replied, "They thought we were girls and kidnapped us. We were supposed to be sold, but the market for boys isn't exactly booming." This one sounded much more sarcastic and pessimistic than the first, his voice was harsh and so was his glare. Kanda decided based on his words that everyone in the room was male.

"What's gonna happen to us…?" One of the smaller children asked, he sounded about Kanda's age. The kinder of the older boys hugged the child reassuringly.

"I'm not sure, but we're going to protect you kids, alright?" He said, and gave the other teen a sharp look. "You _are_ going to help me protect them from these people, aren't you?" The rude teen huffed, but nodded. Kanda determined based on their interaction that they had probably known each other before they were brought here or they had been on the ship longer.

"Yeah, yeah, we'll keep ya as safe as we can, but there's only so much we can do so try an' make it easy on us…" The younger four kids seemed to derive hope from their words, but Kanda wasn't convinced. That didn't seem like the sort of promise they could keep.

000

There were other people on this ship, Kanda discovered as the voyage wore on. He wasn't sure how long he'd been there, maybe a few weeks, maybe a month. They were passing through very warm waters at the moment, but no one who wasn't a crew member was allowed off the ship, so they had no idea where they were. Even if Kanda had known where they were, he'd still have no idea of just _where_ he was. The kinder of the older boys had attempted to teach him a bit about the world, but Kanda decided he must be wrong the minute he said the world was round. Yeah, sure it was. The ground under his feet had always seemed pretty flat to Kanda.

It was difficult to live on this ship. The crew treated them like shit, they worked the boys until they were passing out on deck, and whoever slacked off was beaten. That's what the crew had intended to do at least, but the two older boys made good on their promise and took the blows dealt whenever they could. Kanda didn't like being a burden though, so he and the rest of the kids worked as hard as they could to avoid getting the two teens hurt. It was hard to keep their strength up though, when all they were fed was watery gruel and bread.

Even so, Kanda thanked God that he wasn't a woman. Most of the other "cargo" on the ship was young women and girls, and while they weren't put to work on the deck, they had it much worse. They were kept alone and in their rooms, not given the chance to talk to anyone who didn't come into their rooms. It had been Yuu's job to bring food to them, and he'd found that their legs were chained to the walls. They were all pretty, but they were messy, living in dirty rooms that smelled disgusting; like sex, though Kanda didn't know that. The girls were always crying and for the first few weeks they screamed whenever a crewman went into their rooms. Compared to them, Kanda had it easy.

He had it better than the older boys did, too. Some of the sailors were strange, and looked at him and the rest of the boys with leers and perverse grins. Yuu had been made to watch as the more cynical of the older boys laid himself down (quite literally) for his sake. When asked why he did, the boy just said it was because he'd made a promise.

000

"I've got it from a reliable source that we'll be landing in England soon," the kind boy said one day. His friend snorted at the words "reliable source." The captain tended to be one, especially when alcohol loosened his lips.

"Yeah, and we're still gonna be sold, we'll just be sold as slaves and not prostitutes."

"Must you use such language in front of children?"

"They've heard worse from the crew."

The kind one scowled at the truth in that statement. "Yes, but we can still set a good example for them."

"You're such a mother," the rude boy said with a scoff, which quickly turned into an expression of worry when the kind boy started coughing; he'd been getting sick easily lately, coughing up blood and losing weight like crazy. They were all worried, but none were more upset by this than the one who acted like he cared the least.

"Hey, hey! Don't give up just yet, you said it yourself that we're almost to England. We'll find you a doctor there, ok? Just make it there…"

000

He barely made it to port. The moment the ship opened up, the boys fought their way off of the ship. Kanda tried to help a few of the girls run away, too. The rude teen seemed to think that the reason his friend was so ill was because of the crew, and was hell-bent on murder.

They had been told not to wait, to just get off the ship as soon as they could, and to stay together if they could, but it was impossible not to get separated in the crowd. Kanda was pretty sure all of the boys made it off the ship, including the oldest two, but after that he never saw any of them again. He hoped the kind one found a doctor who would help him. His actions were clearly justified.

When night fell, Kanda found he had a bigger problem. Everywhere he went, people were speaking this strange language at high speeds and he didn't understand a word of it. He could read a few signs here and there because he recognized some words that he'd seen on the ship, but that was it. He was alone in some strange country with no idea where to go or what to do.

The streets were not kind to him that night.

000

He decided he must be at least six now. The older boys on the ship had kept track of time for them and had said they'd been on the ship for about three months. Kanda had somehow found himself in the run-down part of the city he was in-it was called London, if he remembered right. There was a shop that had a calendar in the window near the place he'd found shelter in, and according to it, another five months had passed since he'd come here. He'd turned five about four months before he was kidnapped, so he had to be six now.

Kanda didn't like where he was right now. He'd learned enough English to know he was in Whitechapel, and he had enough common sense to know that not many of the people who were there really wanted to _be_ there. The streets were disgusting and so where plenty of the people who walked them. Kanda tried to make an honest living by doing small jobs wherever he could, and thankfully he'd been found by a kindly old inn-keeper who let him do chores for her in exchange for a room and food. He tried his best to feel like he didn't belong in this place when he knew he did. He looked poor and dirty, he acted rough to protect himself from the dangers that surrounded him, and even he didn't live entirely off of honest means.

One day, the inn-keeper sent Kanda on an errand that brought him all the way to the other side of London, the rich side. For some reason, she made a point of making him wear clean clothes and scrubbing away every speck of dirt that had settled on his skin. He didn't get why he had to be scrubbed raw just to go on an errand, even if he was going to the nice side of town.

And of course the street he was sent to had to have been completely wrong, too. There wasn't a shop on the street! How on earth was he supposed to buy anything when no one was selling? Sometimes that old lady confused him like nothing else could.

There wasn't much on this street at all, there was a school, and across from it a convent and a church. The schoolyard was filled with children of all ages and their parents. Kanda was struck with a pang of loneliness; here he was, in some strange, disgusting and thoroughly confusing country when he should've been at home with his parents. He'd been so busy since he left, so concentrated on living another day that he hadn't had the time to miss his family. Now he found himself staring wistfully into the schoolyard, wishing desperately to be spirited back home.

"Hey, you just gonna stand there and stare, or are ya comin' in?" A young voice asked him. Kanda jumped and looked around for the voice that had called to him. Someone poked his shoulder, and as he turned to look at the person he heard a bit of a giggle.

"What do you want with me?" Kanda was a bit surprised by the shock of red hair and the two shining green eyes that stared directly into his gray-blue ones. Those sparkling eyes widened and blinked in surprise when they saw his face.

"Wow, pretty!" Kanda scowled and grit his teeth, and the kid seemed to realize he'd just said the wrong thing. "Um, anyway, like I said-- are you gonna stand out here all day, or are you going in?" The boy asked, pointing to the school. Kanda's eyebrows knit together for a moment, he didn't think he was allowed to just walk into school, he didn't belong there.

"Of course not."

"Huh? But you've gotta got to school, it's the law you know!" The redhead said with a bit of a pout. Kanda didn't even know why he was talking to this person. He was ready to walk away, find out where he was really supposed to be, but just then an elderly nun came over to the two of them.

"Trying to skip classes already, hm?" She asked with a scowl on her face. The redhead shook his head quickly.

"No, no! This kid is saying he doesn't go to school, so I'm tryin' to bring him in," the strange boy explained; Kanda gave him an incredulous look.

"I don't belong in school! I'm just supposed to be running errands!"

"Nonsense!" The nun put her hands on her hips with a look of anger. "Children belong in school, come with me you two!" She reached down and grabbed the two by their ears, dragging them into the schoolyard. Kanda cursed in Japanese the entire time.

000

At the end of the day Kanda's head was positively spinning. He still wasn't good with conversational English and all of his teachers were nuns who spoke very quickly. He had none of the things he needed for class and no idea what anyone was doing. He didn't know why he'd bothered to stay around all day. Sitting at the back of the class, he sighed over a day wasted.

"So what's up with you anyway? I know school is boring but even I still like it here," that redhead from earlier said to him. Kanda glared at him for daring to speak. There were plenty of kids in the class he could bother, so why was he targeting Kanda?

"I told you I don't belong 'ere. M' landlady sent me to that street to run some errands, but she must've gotten the street name wrong."

"Your landlady? What about your mum? Shouldn't she be the one sending you to school? That's what I think your 'errand' was, by the way. I think she was sending you to school."

Kanda thought that possibility over for a moment; now that he thought about it, it made perfect sense for his landlady to make him clean up like this if she had in fact intended to send him to school, and not on an errand run. Damn, she was a tricky woman, why didn't she just say that was where he was going?

"…That could be it."

"So I was right to bring you in!" The redhead exclaimed happily. Kanda rolled his eyes.

"Who're you anyway? Why are you talking to me? Didn't yer mum ever tell you not to talk to strangers?"

"Nope, but my grandpa did, I never listen to him though. My name is Lavi by the way!" The boy, now identified as Lavi, said with a smile. He extended his hand for a handshake, but Kanda just stared at him curiously; he had yet to meet someone who was proper enough to greet him with a handshake, so the gesture was completely foreign to him.

"M' name is Kanda, and you still 'aven't answered my question; why are you bothering me?"

"Hm? Well… I talked to you because you looked sad and sort of lonely. I figured you could use someone to talk to." Kanda blinked confusedly at the boy; who just walked up to someone because they looked sad? Kanda had never known someone who'd do that. Maybe this kid was just weird?

Either way, Kanda couldn't help but feel oddly warm.

000

It was almost a month after his landlady had started sending him off to school every day before she had enough free time to accompany him there and explain his situation to the nuns. They were sympathetic, and suddenly they stopped being so hard on him for not participating in class or having the proper books and whatnot. During that month, Lavi had become strangely attached to him. It sort of frightened Kanda, because no one but the landlady had been nice to him since he'd come to England, and even then she pitied him more than anything. Genuine kindness had yet to be found among these strange people.

"So," Lavi walked up to Kanda with a bit of a pout on his face, "Why didn't you tell me that your real name was Yuu?" Lavi asked; he'd eavesdropped on the landlady's conversation with Mother Superior. He seemed to feel a bit hurt by the fact that Kanda had withheld such information from him, but Kanda didn't understand what he'd done wrong.

"I told you my name was Kanda, and it is. Yuu is m' name too, but ain't it normal to give your family name first?"

"_No_, who told you that?"

"My parents, that's the way we do things where I come from." Kanda scowled at the redhead; who was he to question Kanda's customs? Well, the few he knew about, anyway. Five years wasn't really enough time to learn a lot about his culture.

"Where are you from anyway, Yuu?"

"Don't call me that! It's rude."

"But you call me by my first name! How's it rude? Anyway, answer my question, you never answer any of my questions right away, you know." Lavi tapped his foot to illustrate his impatience.

"_Nihon, _you people call it Japan."

Lavi's eyes widened in amazement. "Whoa…Where's that?"

"'Aven't a clue." Kanda had yet to see a world map, so he really had no idea just where it was in relation to England.

"Oh… So why are you here then?" Lavi asked. Kanda wasn't sure if he really wanted to answer that question, he didn't think anyone would believe him if he said he was smuggled over.

"Why do you ask? That annoyed by me already?" Kanda asked, hoping to dodge the question. He did, though he didn't like the result of asking such a question.

"Of course not, Yuu! You're my friend!" Lavi said loudly, and hugged him.

Kanda went rigid. He hated being touched; he'd started hating it the moment he was taken on that ship. He couldn't trust foreigners enough to let them touch him at all. On the ship, the crew only beat him, and when he'd gotten lost in the streets, before he'd been taken in by the landlady, he'd had a few horrific run-ins with some less-than-pleasant men. They treated him the same way the crew had treated the women, the same way they'd treated that rude teenager who'd given himself up to protect Kanda. He'd felt like he was going to die and didn't understand how he'd managed to live.

Foreigners couldn't be trusted; he couldn't let even a child near him.

"LET GO OF ME!" Kanda shouted, and violently pushed Lavi away. The redhead didn't understand what he'd done wrong, and looked hurt. Kanda was too busy trying to stop himself from shaking to care.

"Yuu…?"

"Don't call me that..!"

"What's wrong, Kanda?" Lavi had always been observant, and the fear that was pervading Kanda's expression was clear as day to him. There was something wrong with Kanda's reaction, but he was too young to know what.

Finally, Kanda realized how strange, how frightened he was acting, and shook himself out of it. "Nothing, just… I don't like being touched, please don't."

"Okay… You sure you're alright though?"

"I'm fine!" Kanda snapped. Lavi gave him a concerned look; Kanda could hardly stand to lie to Lavi's honest face.

000

Somehow Kanda had managed to make it through a year of school. He'd picked up proper English quickly enough, and the nuns seemed determined to stop him from slipping back into the slight cockney accent he'd picked up during his first year in London.

Lavi was all but affixed to his hip now and seemed to fancy himself Kanda's best friend. Kanda didn't want best friends, but he supposed Lavi must've been something special to him because aside from his landlady, Lavi was the only foreigner he trusted. He was the only person Yuu could stand in general, really.

Kanda had thought that he probably would not see Lavi at all during summer vacation, because he had no idea where they would meet outside of school. He was wrong though, as one day he was sent on another fake errand that landed him directly in front of a huge mansion the likes of which he'd never seen. It seemed that his landlady and Lavi's grandfather (when had they gotten in touch?) had arranged a little play date for the two of them. Kanda just wished the old lady would tell him these things. After that he'd seen a lot more of Lavi, and had to dodge a lot of questions about his own place of residence and his family.

At last the new school year had started, and this time Kanda didn't hesitate to walk into the schoolyard, though seeing all of the new families bring in their children still made him feel lonely. He stood apart from the rest of the crowd and waited for the only person who mattered.

As he surveyed the crowd of students, one family stood out to him. It wasn't really a whole family, just two people. One was a little girl with her short hair drawn up into two cute pigtails. The older of the two who looked to be in his mid-teens; he was maybe a year or so older than the two boys who'd protected him on the ship. They didn't look like everyone else; they looked like him, like foreigners to England. He wondered how they'd gotten here.

The girl seemed hesitant to leave her older brother, and Kanda decided it must be her brother because he was far too young to have a child who looked to be about five.

"Yay, Yuu waited for me! I'd hug him if only he'd let me." Kanda gave a bit of a scowl when he heard Lavi approaching him. Over the past year he'd realized that not all foreigners were bad, and that he'd just gotten a particularly bad first impression of them but he still hated being touched. However, it seemed the more he denied people contact, the more Lavi wanted a hug. Damned touchy-feely rabbit brat.

"Try it and I'll break your arms."

"Violent as always, I see…You never did explain why you hate hugs so much. There's a lot of stuff you've never explained to me, Yuu."

Kanda tried not to sigh at the use of his given name. He'd made it clear that it was not to be used by the redhead, but Lavi had made it clear that he was going to use it anyway.

The school bell rang and Kanda pushed away from the wall he was leaning on.

"Excuse me," a little voice came from Kanda's left, and he felt a little tug on his sleeve. Kanda looked down to see the little girl that he'd noticed earlier. She was looking up at him with wide, innocent eyes and Kanda instantly knew that she didn't know much hardship. She'd probably come to England peacefully.

"Um… You sort of look like me and my ge-ge," she said, releasing his sleeve and looking at her toes. Kanda couldn't help but think her behavior was cute. He found it a bit easier to like her because she wasn't a foreigner and she wasn't a male. "Well, you don't look like everyone else…"

"And you sort of look like me," he replied to her statement, not really sure what she was getting at.

"Are you from China, too?" She asked, looking hopeful. He shook his head no.

"I'm from Japan."

"Oh…" She took a moment to think about that, probably wondering where Japan was, but in the end she just shook off the thought. "Well, my name is Lee Lenalee, it's nice to meet you!" She said with a happy smile and a polite bow. It seemed she didn't particularly care if he was just like her or not. Darn it though, she was precious, and it was pretty obvious that Lavi thought the same thing.

"I'm Kanda Yuu."

"And I'm Lavi! Let's be friends, 'kay?" And so Kanda suddenly found himself with a new friend.

000

Kanda was always very wary on his walks home from school. The streets weren't safe for a kid like himself, he had to be careful. Usually it was easy enough to stay out of trouble if he just kept to himself. Don't look anyone in the eye, don't get involved in other people's fights, don't stare and don't speak. As long as he did all of that, he was safe, for the most part.

One day he found it too hard to keep out of other people's business though.

"Let me go!" A loud yell sounded just as Kanda was passing by a rather bad alley. He hated taking this road, but it was easier to get home this way. He wanted to just ignore the yell, goodness how he would've liked to just keep walking, but that voice was too damn childish to just ignore. Kanda couldn't help but remember the two who had gone out of their way to protect him and the rest of the kids on that ship, he remembered how he had hated being in their debt but was thankful for their protection.

He had always wanted to pay them back, but he would probably never meet them again. Maybe he could still return the favor though, by doing what they always did for someone else?

Against his better judgment Kanda turned into the alley to see an older man trying to pin a young boy with the strangest white hair. He'd never seen a kid with hair that color, he wondered how it got to be that way.

"'Ey you big jerk, let that kid go!" Kanda yelled into the alley before he could chicken out and run away. Immediately he caught the kid and his attacker's attention. He ran into the alley and delivered a quick kick to the man's face; he was on the ground, it was easy enough to reach. With a yell the man let go of the boy and covered his injured nose. The kid looked up at him with wide gray eyes and Kanda noticed the strange scar on his face. He seemed too afraid to know that he was supposed to run.

Kanda picked the kid up off the ground and quickly brought the child to the mouth of the alley.

"Get outta 'ere kid!" he said, dragging the boy forward. The boy, his eyes still frightened and wide, nodded and did as told, shouting a thank you as he ran. Kanda was quick to try and escape too, now that the kid was safe there was no reason to stick around. It seemed he wasn't that lucky though, for a moment later he was dragged back, kicking and screaming.

"Damnit, ya 'elped 'im get away ya little snot!" The man growled out, "You better make up for it now!"

Kanda felt fear clamp down on his being, because he knew that no one else was stupid enough to make his mistake. He wasn't getting away.

000

"You're back Yuu!"

"Kanda, what happened to you?"

When Kanda returned to school after a two-week absence, he was greeted in this way by his friends at the front gate. The landlady had decided that she would have to start walking him to and from school after what happened, and had gone in to explain vaguely why Kanda had missed so much school.

"I was sick, so I stayed home," Kanda answered. It was somewhat true; he had been unwell for a while. "I feel okay now, but you'd better stay away or you might catch it." That was a blatant lie, but Kanda just didn't want to be near anyone anymore. He hadn't even wanted to leave the safety of the landlady's apartment that morning.

"Don't be stupid Yuu, we'd rather catch our deaths than leave you alone!" Lavi said in what was supposed to be a reassuring way, and Kanda internally groaned; that was exactly what he didn't want to hear.

But then again, maybe he what he needed at the moment was to be with these two? To be with people he could trust?

000

"Yuu, there's still so much you haven't told me about you, but we've been friends for three years now," Lavi said randomly one day. The two of them were currently in Lavi's room at the Mikk mansion. Lavi was the only foreign boy he trusted enough to be alone with. Kanda was definitely bias against foreigners and most of his own gender, but that was to be expected after everything that had happened. In all honesty he didn't much care for girls either, he found them pitiable, and a touch more trustworthy, but that was it.

"If I haven't told you something, that's because it doesn't matter," Kanda said, dismissing the topic.

"It does matter though! At least it does to me… I wanna know all the little things," Lavi insisted. Kanda knew that Lavi really did want to know, he brought this subject up so much. Well, they were alone at the moment and Kanda knew that if he told Lavi not to tell anyone, he wouldn't… Maybe it was time to just confess everything to him? It certainly couldn't feel much worse than keeping it all in did.

"Are you really sure you want to know about me? My story isn't a pretty one," Kanda warned.

"I can handle it. 'Sides, if something bad happened to you, then I wanna be able to take some of the burden off of you."

Kanda raised an eyebrow to this, unsure of just how Lavi intended to go about doing that, but decided that it was time to give in and just tell his friend the truth.

"Well, I came here when I was five. See, there were these strange guys in my hometown…"

000

Somehow, Kanda had gotten emotional during his story. He hated it, and for so many years he had tried to reconcile his upset feelings, and when that didn't work he'd tried to bury them, but in the end he still couldn't keep himself under control. Saying everything out loud made it so real, hearing it come out of his own mouth made it hurt more than he thought possible. Even so, Kanda fought back his tears until the end and tried not to let his voice waver too much.

"Yuu… is that all true? It's so much, and you're not even ten yet…!"

"Oh yeah, 'cause I would definitely lie about being kidnapped and dumped in some city halfway across the world from my home!" Kanda could hardly believe Lavi had the gall to ask that. They both knew he wasn't nearly creative enough to make up a story like that.

"No, I don't doubt that it happened, you're here after all… But that really does explain a lot about you, like why you never let anyone touch you." It had always hurt Lavi whenever Kanda pushed him away, and Kanda knew it did, but at least now Lavi understood why he did.

"Why are you so hung up over hugging me anyway?" Kanda asked; he'd never really seen what was so great about hugs.

"Because that's what you do when you like someone, you hug them. Personally, I think you could really use one right now, too."

"Jerk, I definitely don't."

"No, I think you do," Lavi said, seeming completely serious, "I mean, you should know that not everyone who touches you is out to hurt you. You should be able to trust at least one person enough to let them hug you. Do you trust me enough? Or do you think I'm out to hurt you?"

"No!" Kanda knew that of all the world's people, Lavi was the one who was least likely to hurt him. "I just… I…" He was afraid he just didn't want to admit it.

"Scared of me, Yuu?"

"Of course not, what's there to be afraid of?"

"So you wouldn't scream if I hugged you now?"

Oh, that was difficult to answer. Kanda didn't want to admit to being afraid, but at the same time he was, the idea made him want to run. But he did trust Lavi, and there wasn't any reason to be afraid of him.

"…No, now stop asking stupid questions."

"Good!" Lavi said, and then he was suddenly at Kanda's side. "Gonna hug ya now, if ya don't mind." Kanda braced himself for the paralyzing fear that he was sure would come with being touched as Lavi wrapped his arms around his shoulders. Amazingly enough it never came. Instead, he felt warm, warm and fluttery. It was nice, being held like this, comforting even. Kanda let out a deep breath and relaxed, suddenly Lavi seemed much more precious to him.

000

The courtyard of the Mikk household was splendid, really. There was a beautiful rose garden, and that was where the two boys were playing. Lenalee wasn't allowed over, her brother was over-protective and thought all little boys were just out to steal his sweet little sister from him. Kanda had met the guy a few times, and had decided that he was rather normal until the subject of Lenalee came up, then he was crazy. He reminded Kanda of that kind boy from the ship before he got sick, energetic and protective.

So they were alone in the rose garden together. Kanda had long since gotten used to Lavi and his constant need for hugs and whatnot. It was like opening a dam really; one had naturally led to many, many more. In all honesty, Kanda didn't mind in the least, Lavi made him feel comfortable. Over the past year Kanda had received more hugs than he could count. He was ten years old now, he'd officially spent half of his life in England, and he was finally starting to feel okay in this country.

"Hey Yuu," Lavi called, and Kanda looked over to him, walking in his direction.

"What?"

"Would you mind if I kissed you?" Lavi asked in all seriousness.

Kanda was completely bowled over by the question. That was just too random, why on earth would he ask that? Kanda was a boy, a boy! They both knew that so why would he ask such a thing? Besides they were friends, did friends kiss? Well, he supposed it depended on the kind of kiss, didn't it?

"Why would you want to?" Kanda asked; for Kanda something like that was exceptionally intimate, no one had ever kissed him, not even those attackers of his.

"Because when ya love someone you kiss them," Lavi said, looking him directly in the eye. There was no hint of a lie in his eye; Lavi was serious about what he was saying, well as serious as a child could be about such matters. Kanda's face turned bright red; he'd never really expected to hear that word from anyone, especially not Lavi. That all-powerful "L" word…

"I…" How did one respond to a question like that? Wouldn't it be shameless to say yes? It would hurt Lavi to say no, and Kanda didn't really want to do that. He needed a moment to decide, and avoided answering by asking another question.

"Are you serious?" Kanda knew Lavi was, he could see it in his glowing eyes, but he needed to ask anyway.

"Of course. I wouldn't dare ask if I weren't."

Kanda couldn't bring himself to say no when Lavi was so sincere. He took a shy step toward Lavi, his cheeks still burning red, and looked up to Lavi.

"Okay then, you can."

Lavi looked surprised for a moment, and Kanda wondered if he had frozen and couldn't bring himself to do it. But soon enough the bunny boy reigned in his wits and leaned over, placing a chaste kiss on Yuu's lips. A light, joyful feeling bubbled up in Kanda and he thought that maybe, just maybe, he loved Lavi too.

000

Everything that was good in Kanda's life came undone the moment he was done with his primary education. His landlady had died of pneumonia, and apparently she had a son whom she'd left her boarding house to. This son hated kids and wanted Kanda out of that building since he wasn't a paying tenant. Kanda had told the son of his arrangement with the old landlady, but he would have none of it. He didn't need to be told to leave twice.

At first, Kanda entertained the idea of going to Lavi and asking for help, but he didn't want to trouble his friend with his problems. Besides, his pride wouldn't allow him to go running to Lavi every time something went wrong. So Kanda looked around the area he was familiar with to find a place to stay. There were quite a few abandoned factory warehouses around, but most of them were filled with the homeless and destitute. There was no room for another body and quite frankly he didn't want to live in such an impersonal place.

Eventually though he did find a small little run-down house that he supposed would be enough to get him through the colder months. He'd gotten pretty good at making repairs to walls and such, his old landlady had taught him how to do a lot of things on his own, and he'd learned plenty about construction on the ship. It took a few months of finding scrap wood and stealing tools, but he managed to turn the little hovel into something fairly respectable.

Even so, he found himself staying over Lavi's house a lot more than he used to. At least, he did until he realized he was starting to get tailed. The desperate people around him were curious as to where he was going everyday now that the landlady couldn't make him go to school anymore. Kanda was worried, he didn't want to lead bad, dangerous people to Lavi's home, or Lenalee's for that matter. The first few times he noticed his pursuers, he'd turned back and gone home.

After a while, he did manage to give those people the slip and managed to get to Lavi's without being followed. However, after being followed so many times he was paranoid; he didn't want to cause trouble for the people who had been so kind to him for all these years. So he decided this would be the last time he went to Lavi's house, this would be the last time he saw his friends. It was for their own good.

Needless to say, the redhead didn't take the news well, he begged Kanda to reconsider and refused to tell Lenalee that Kanda wouldn't be seeing her again either. Nothing Kanda said could make Lavi realize just how dangerous the people following him probably were. In the end Kanda had just had to run away from the estate, not looking back as he left it for what he was sure would be the last time.

000

A year had passed since Kanda had stopped contacting Lavi and Lenalee and he could definitely say that he'd had better days. He was trying to find an honest job, but in the meantime he had to steal to get by and he hated doing something so dishonest. He didn't trust anyone around him, no one was worthy of it. There was no one to talk to either, it was lonely. The only comfort he had was the fact that he'd lived through worse days.

One day when he left his home in search of a job or someone to scam (whichever came first), he realized that a small gang of boys in their older teens and early twenties who were infamous for the trouble they caused seemed about ready to cause a scene. Kanda had long since decided that he wouldn't bother with other people's problems, but he was still curious enough to try and find their target in the crowd.

It wasn't hard to. There, walking down the street was Lavi, looking completely out of place in his nicely tailored clothes and shining leather shoes. Goodness, the kid was asking to be robbed or mugged or something. Heck, if Lavi hadn't been one of his friends then even Yuu would've been tempted to pick his pockets.

But as it was, his appearance here was just worrying. He was going to get hurt if he stuck around for long. Kanda ran towards Lavi, and the redhead jumped when he'd heard his name being called. It was clear that Lavi was tense; he wasn't comfortable with being here.

"You idiot, do you want to get yer ass mugged?" Kanda hissed at Lavi when he reached him. Lavi blinked at him for a moment, as though he didn't recognize Kanda. Maybe he didn't, Kanda had grown and besides he probably didn't look as clean as Lavi remembered. But then a smile etched its way onto Lavi's face and he hugged Kanda. Yuu was too worried and annoyed with Lavi to reciprocate though, and pushed him away.

"This is 'ardly the time or place for a reunion, idiot! Do you see those four guys over there? They're getting ready to rob ya blind because you don't 'ave the common sense to dress down when coming to the East end!" Kanda scolded, angry that Lavi had put himself in harm's way for no reason.

"Well, I wouldn't be down here if a certain someone came to visit every once in a while. Yuu, just come live with me at the Mikk mansion, I can get you a job there or something if you want. I just don't want you to live like this…I don't want to live knowing that I can't see you, knowing that you're here alone!" Lavi explained hurriedly, as though he didn't think Kanda was going to let him speak.

"We can talk about this later, Lavi, but right now you need to get out of here!" Kanda said, getting a bit panicked; they were getting closer, Lavi wasn't going to be safe for much longer.

"No, you won't come see me and I know it! This is the only way I can get you talk to me!" Lavi objected, looking hurt. He just refused to understand the position he as in, it frustrated Kanda! Angry and worried, Yuu grabbed Lavi and started pulling him in the general direction of the Mikk mansion.

"Lavi you have to leave now, you'll be hurt if you don't!"

"You'll be hurt if you stay here too, Yuu!"

"Now's not the time for this!"

"Yes it is!"

The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted the two, and Kanda cursed under his breath. Shit, they'd been approached.

"'ey kiddie, ya sure do look fancy, all dressed up like that," the leader of that group said with a sneer. "Makes me sort of pissed when lil' rich kids like you show up. How 'bout you share the wealth, Red?"

Kanda stepped between the men and Lavi, he'd gotten himself a bit of a reputation as a fighter over the past few years, and while he knew he couldn't beat all four of them at once, he could buy Lavi enough time to run.

"'E's just an idiot servant, th' brat's got no money on 'im," Kanda said, hoping that would be enough to dissuade the thugs.

"Maybe 'e doesn't, but those fancy clothes of 'is would sell for a lot, you know? 'Sides, why should I believe you?"

"'Cause I know 'e's got nothin' on 'im, so just leave 'im the hell alone before you make an arse of ye'self." Kanda looked the older man in the eye defiantly, daring him to make a move against Lavi. Faintly, he heard Lavi mutter, "The nuns at our school would cry if they heard you now…" Kanda growled at him; he wasn't helping.

"We'll check the bloke out ourselves, if ya don't mind runt," the man said, and then the four lunged in unison. Kanda push Lavi away, and fought off who he could.

"Run you idiot!" He shouted when it seemed like Lavi wasn't going to move. The redhead just scowled and roundhouse kicked the nearest thug. Kanda cursed under his breath, it was just like Lavi to think he could do something in this situation. Granted he was a pretty good fighter, he'd even taught Kanda a move or two, but he wasn't prepared for an unfair fight, and he had no idea how to fight someone who had a weapon. Kanda knew these guys were armed.

They proved him right soon enough. Annoyed, the one that Lavi had first kicked pulled out a switchblade. Kanda yelled a warning and tried to hit the knife out of the man's hand before he could do any harm, but he left an opening in his defense that was quickly taken advantage of. In the moment he took to dodge the blows he could, Lavi had been cut.

The scream struck him to his very core, and Kanda decided it was time to run and not care who followed. He tried not to look at Lavi's face, and just checked to be sure that the redhead could still run. He was afraid to find out what had happened, afraid to see what they'd done to Lavi. It was his fault, he knew, he couldn't protect Lavi so it had to be his fault.

"Damnit, Lavi…" Kanda said between pants when they'd finally reached a safe place, "Do you get it now? Those were the kind of people that were following me to your house, they'd have robbed you blind if I had led them there!"

Kanda wasn't sure if Lavi could really understand him at the moment, he was probably in shock. He did realize the irony in his own words though, when he finally dared to look at Lavi's injury. It was a deep gash over his right eye. Lavi was going to lose that eye, or at the very least he would lose his sight in it.

Angry, Kanda was angry and fighting against himself so that he wouldn't take it out on Lavi. Damnit, if the redhead had just stayed on his side of town none of this would've happened. Kanda didn't have time to get upset though, he had to get Lavi home or to a hospital. The boy was shaking and was probably fit to collapse soon from the shock of having his face ripped open.

In the end Lavi did lose his eye, and Kanda lost all contact with him.

000

By age 13 Kanda was pretty used to the life he led. He was independent, a good fighter, and could provide for himself. No one bothered him anymore; he was too strong to mess with, even if he was just a kid. He was alone, but at least he wasn't hurting anyone.

Shopping for food was probably the only honest business he conducted anymore, stealing food was beneath even him, doing so made him feel like a stray dog. So that's what he was doing when he bumped into his old friend Lenalee. He was quick to avert his eyes and try to walk away, he hoped she wouldn't remember him, after all it had been two years since he'd stopped seeing her. No such luck though, as soon enough he felt a hand on his shoulder, and that familiar voice was calling out to him.

"Kanda, is that you?" She asked, and he ducked his head a bit. He couldn't lie to her, it had always been so hard to lie to her and that hadn't changed. She narrowed her questioning eyes at him for a long moment, inspecting him.

"It is you, isn't it?" Finally he turned around and faced her, nodding in response. "Kanda!" She was quick to hug him, and Kanda fought back his reflex to hit whoever touched him. It was just Lenalee, she was just happy to see him. Besides, being touched in a way that wasn't painful was… strange to him now, foreign, it felt nice.

"You don't look like you're doing too well," She commented, he voice muffled by his shirt. "You're too skinny and no offense, but you stink." She always had been a bit too honest.

"Yeah, well you try staying clean when you live in a hovel," he muttered before thinking. Lenalee looked up at him with worry.

"So you really are living in a bad place, aren't you?" She asked, innocent eyes trained on him. Kanda tried to deny what she said; he couldn't have her worrying about him and making Lavi's mistake. But she wouldn't allow him to make up excuses, she exhibited more strength than he'd remembered her having when she dragged him all the way to a very large mansion that he remembered coming to once a long time ago. She lived here with her brother, it was the Marian manor.

"Why did you bring me here?" Kanda asked as she dragged him through the front gates.

"I'm going to get you a job here! My brother is the young master's best friend, and my best friend is the son of the Master's assistant, if I ask them to, I know they can help you!"

"No! I don't want anyone's charity!" Kanda shouted coldly, and tried to pull away from her. She just looked at him with a glare.

"Well too bad, 'cause I'm going to do it anyway!" Kanda didn't remember her being quite so forceful, it was sort of strange to see her this way. But her voice said not to go against her, and Kanda didn't really want to refuse her offer anyway, his pride was the only thing that had kept him from accepting Lavi's help before, and he hardly had any of that left now.

Kanda felt a bit of fear when he faced Komui again after all of these years; if he still had that sister-complex of his, then he would probably be too protective of Lenalee to let her associate with someone like Kanda. But that wasn't the case, because Komui actually recognized him and worried over him just as much as Lenalee had.

Kanda felt oddly nostalgic when he was forced into a bath and clean clothes. Komui and Lenalee had talked to him through the door the entire time, they were trying to convince him that it wouldn't be so bad working here, he'd like it, working under Cross was undoubtedly better than living in the East end. Maybe it was because he felt cleaner than he had in years and that had put him in an agreeable mood, but somewhere along the way he started believing them.

The job was easy enough to get, he was apprenticed under an older guard who was getting ready to retire. Both his teacher and his employer were kind enough people and the master didn't seem to care about him either way. He was back with people, normal, functioning people and he felt like he didn't belong. Even so, as the weeks turned into months and years, he started thinking "Maybe this isn't so bad…?"

Because maybe relying on others wasn't so bad?

**Ah….really long chapter. You're all probably wondering why the normal chapters aren't this long, and Saya is wondering that too…. But don't worry, this time it really isn't just blatant Kanda favoritism… Komui and Lenalee's backstory is next (it's mostly Komui's, really) and it'll probably be just as long, if not longer. Komui is older, after all, it only makes sense that his life story is longer. **

**Sadly, this didn't explain why Kanda hated Allen from first sight, but Saya intends to have Kanda explain that to his face one day… Hope you enjoyed this chapter which was so irrelevant to the plot (or so we think)! :D **


	10. The Right Choices

**And it's Komui's story now~! Because someone has to be wondering how a bunch of pretty Asians all miraculously managed to get into the same house… A bit of sad back story is necessary for this, clearly. Goodness, this chapter is gonna be long….**

**Disclaimer: Saya doesn't own the actors, just the script they're acting to.**

**Warnings: Rated M for sexual material en masse, and pedophilia, considering how both Cross and Tyki are much older than Allen.**

10. The Right Choices

Komui didn't really like school, so he was glad when the New Year's break came around. It wasn't as though he was a stupid child, and it wasn't as though he didn't value education. He just knew there was something beyond what he was being taught, and he wanted to get there but it seemed that no one was ever going to show him that secret knowledge. There was something lacking in all of his subjects, something uncertain about them that he didn't like. Who was to say the history he was taught was true? The rules of language changed all the time. The "sciences" he was taught seemed so much more like mysticism that real science to him. Math at least had a nice, solid foundation. There were no exceptions in it; things were just as they appeared. He felt like that one subject at least could be trusted to bring him closer to the truths he wanted to find.

He was home now though, and things were simpler at home. All Komui had to worry about at the moment was getting the ingredients his mother would need for their New Year's meal. Shopping was such a chore, but he was happy to help out in any way he could. The marketplace was always pretty interesting, too; there wasn't much that caught his eye, but studying the people there was just as entertaining as anything else.

One person in particular always caught his interest. There was a foreigner who ran a small shop of his own. He wasn't as outlandishly foreign as some of the other outsiders Komui had seen, his hair was a medium brown instead of that strange gold color so many of them had. His eyes were a hazel color instead of blue. He was still pale with distinctly non-Chinese characteristics, but at least he didn't stand out so much in a crowd.

"Ah, Komui! Coming to visit again, or just running errands?" The foreigner asked as he waved over to him. Komui waved back and walked over to the small shop, he had plenty of time to spare. Komui had come to befriend this man over some books that he sold. This guy was a scientist, a real scientist. He relied on formulas and proven facts, mathematics and concrete evidence. Komui had found himself hanging around the shop so much that the owner had eventually given him a job there. That was a bit of a blessing, as Komui's parents had been hoping he would get a job to help them with their financial troubles.

"Just running errands, though a little visit never hurt anyone," Komui said happily. The two of them entered the shop; it was a bookstore, and while the majority of the books were in a language that the locals could understand, there were a few sections that were just filled with English books, and a few other languages. Komui liked those sections best; they had all sorts of interesting books on physics, chemistry and anatomy. There was even a few Chinese-to-English dictionaries, which were a great help to Komui seeing as he had a very limited English vocabulary. The foreigner could only teach him so much while they were working, and Komui couldn't really practice at home, his parents didn't like foreigners or their languages. They'd be shocked to know their dear son was working for one.

"Getting ready for New Years, hm? The celebration is always so extravagant, I like the way you celebrate it a lot more than the way I do."

"I wonder if I'd agree," Komui said quietly. For a long time he'd been very curious about the place this man came from. The foreigner didn't particularly like where he came from which was why he was here, but Komui was fascinated with European culture, and of course western science.

"Knowing you boy, you'd probably love it there," the man muttered with a roll of his eyes. Komui chuckled, but stopped when a stack of heavy books was dropped before him.

"What're these…?" Komui asked with a raised eyebrow. The foreigner gave his usual roguish grin and explained.

"They're some medical books I just got in today, newest edition," he said, anticipating Komui's excited expression. Komui was not one to disappoint, and he didn't this time either. His eyes lit up and he quickly started flipping through the top book. Oh goodness, these books were practically begging for him to buy them. For one greedy moment he was tempted to use the money his parents had given him for shopping to buy them, but quickly he threw that thought away. He could come back and get them later, if he really wanted them. It would be wrong to steal from his family like that.

The foreigner knew Komui well enough to have a pretty good idea of what was going on in his mind.

"Take them Komui, I know you're dying to," the foreigner said, feeling charitable. He found it difficult to deny Komui anything.

"I can't, I can't pay for them," Komui said immediately, denying the man's kindness. It wouldn't feel right to him to just take them when those books were undoubtedly costly.

"Sure ya can Komui, consider them a New Year's gift. A Christmas gift too, since you wouldn't let me get you anything at the time."

Komui was unsure if he would feel right accepting these; it didn't feel like he'd earned them. But oh, did he want to just take them, say a quick thanks and then bolt for home and forget all about anything that didn't have to do with science.

"You've been working your ass off here since you were twelve. After two years of hard work and loyal patronage, I think you deserve a gift or two."

"You always think I deserve a gift or two," Komui muttered back, but despite himself he was finding it harder and harder to reject the man's offer.

"Well it's not everyday I find a young boy so interested in learning. What's wrong with me trying to fuel the fire? The world could use a bright mind like yours. Just take them and enjoy, Komui. I'd be a bit insulted if you didn't."

That was sort of unfair. Komui knew he wouldn't really be, but now he was sort of obligated to take them. Granted, it was an obligation he'd gladly fulfill but it was still a bit low to say that. Darn foreigner knew just how to make Komui accept a gift.

"I see then. Thank you for your kindness," Komui said, his gratefulness and excitement showing clearly now that he'd accepted the gift.

"Don't mention it kid."

000

Komui thought nothing of it when he walked into the closed bookstore on a day that it was usually open. It wouldn't be the first time that the owner forgot to open shop, or had slept in and had yet to open the store. Komui had even found himself making breakfast for the owner a few times, oddly enough. So he walked into the store, fully prepared to go upstairs into the older man's apartment and wake him up.

However, he didn't expect to enter the store and see the shelves empty and boxes stacked all around.

"What's going on here?" Komui's eyebrows knitted together, his confusing evident on his face.

"Sorry I didn't tell you about this sooner Komui, I'm sure this is a surprise for you," the man apologized as he brought another box in from the back room. "I recently got a letter from my brother. My father is practically on his deathbed, and I intend to see him before he dies. I'm going back to England."

"Oh." Komui couldn't argue with the man's reasons because if his father was dying he would drop everything and go to his side, too. "Will you be coming back?"

The foreigner shook his head. "Probably not. I can't now, I'm the oldest son, expected to take over the family business. I've got a job waiting for me there, and if I read my brother's letter right, I might have a fiancé waiting for me, too." The foreigner's dislike of this situation was evident in his expression, though his tone was resigned.

The foreigner wasn't the only one who was upset by this, naturally Komui was too. The man had been a very close friend of his for years now, ever since Komui had wandered into the science section of this store when he was 11. It had been nearly four years since then, this man was almost like an older brother to him, or maybe a favorite uncle. Komui would feel very lonely when he left.

Still, Komui couldn't selfishly ask him to stay, or to come back when his father was dead. Komui couldn't take this man from his family and his responsibilities selfishly, even though the man probably wanted to stay just as much as Komui didn't want him to leave.

"Um…Komui, I've been thinking about this for a while, since even before I got this letter," the man said, seeming uncertain, "I've known for a while I would have to go back, ever since I caught wind of my father's illness. So I've been wondering… if you would like to come back with me. I know you've wanted to go there for a long time, and it would be much easier for me to teach you there than it is here. You know enough English now to get by, too. If you wanted, I could bring you home with me."

Komui was struck with the mad desire to leave for England when he heard those words. How easy it would be to just pack his bags and leave with the foreigner? He could go off to England and learn the science he was so interested in properly. Together he and this man could do all those experiments that they couldn't do here because they didn't have the supplies. He could always come back home if he wanted to, too, this didn't have to be a permanent move. So tempting this offer was, so, so tempting…

But Komui had family, too. He also had parents that were getting on in years, and he had a precious little sister who was just two years old. His parents wouldn't be able to keep up with her in a few years, she'd be a ball of energy and they'd just be old and tired. Komui was needed by his family; he was needed by his sister. Someone had to protect her from all the jealous girls and love-struck boys when she grew up, someone needed to teach her right from wrong and shield her from the bad things in this world. What if something happened to her, or their parents? Komui couldn't leave his family alone.

After a long, tense silence Komui had come to his decision. "I'm sorry…I can't come with you. Just as you have to be there for your family, I too have to stay here with mine. Maybe when little Lenalee is married I'll go to study in England, but until she is taken care of and my parents are secure, I can't leave."

The foreigner gave a small, understanding smile. He'd known that the question was stupid; he realized Komui would never come with him but he just had to try.

"I see. Well, if you ever do make it to England, be sure to stop by Soho Square, I live in there area. Maybe we'll meet again?" The man said hopefully, his uncertainty turning the statement into a question. Komui felt like he couldn't look at this man whom he owed so much to while denying his kindness like this.

"I hope we do," was all he said in return. The store was silent as the two continued to pack everything into boxes.

000

By the time Komui was fifteen, he'd translated every book he'd ever gotten from the foreigner's store, and had read through half of them. Some of it was very complicated, it was the kind of science that a fifteen-year-old shouldn't be able to understand, Komui was sure. Still, he had textbooks for every level of learning so it wasn't difficult for him to go back and find the information he needed in order to make sense of something.

School had become completely pointless to him. He knew plenty of his own language, and he didn't care about history, not really. He'd gotten mathematics books from the foreigner, too; he was currently decoding a trigonometry textbook. Komui decided it would be for the best if he concentrated on doing work to help with finances. But everyday before he returned to his room, he went into the storehouse and got out whatever book suited his fancy. He couldn't keep them in his room, he couldn't keep them anywhere that his parents might find, so he kept them in that old storehouse on the edge of their property that was in disuse.

Today he didn't think he would be making a stop at the storehouse, though. The scent of smoke made itself known to him in little teases of air, wafting slowing from the direction of the main house. His stomach clenched in fear, but he tried to calm it. It wasn't too unusual for there to be a fire going, the air was chilly so someone was probably just warming up the furnace. There was no reason to panic, surely, and yet he did.

For a moment, Komui stopped dead in his tracks when he came to the top of the hill, where he could clearly see his home. There, at the very center of his house in the area that he was pretty sure was the kitchen, a fire was raging. It was eating its way though the roof already, burning through the walls, his home was burning from the inside out.

There wasn't a moment to lose, Komui had to run as fast as he could, he had to reach his family and be sure that they were alright. The fire had probably started in the kitchen, chances are whoever had been in there was dead or at least seriously injured. At this time of day Lenalee would be sleeping in her room, it was farthest from the kitchen. If Komui was fast enough, he could probably reach her before she inhaled too much smoke. He knew what would happen if she did. Oh, the drawback of knowing too much.

In the end, Lenalee was the only one he could save. He'd made it a priority to get her out of her room first, because he knew he could save her, at least. But the rest of the house burned fast, and as hard as he tried he still couldn't find anyone in any of the safe places in the house. The two of them waited for hours outside of the house, even long after it had stopped burning, hoping beyond hope that their parents would come home from the market, upset but safe, or that one of them would miraculously walk out of the wreckage. Neither happened.

Komui counted it as a small mercy that Lenalee was so young; she was two and probably wouldn't remember much of what was happening, or of their parents. She wouldn't have to miss them the way he would. It was midmorning when she woke up again, perfectly fine if not somewhat confused. She made him put her down, and when she realized she wasn't at home in her warm little room but outside near the old storehouse, her eyes got wide and watery and her little lips trembled.

"Shhh, little Lenalee, you're alright, you're big brother's got you now."

000

Komui didn't have much money on him, but after his parents were confirmed dead he was left with much more money that he ever would've thought his family had. Most of it was money to go towards Lenalee's marriage and education, though a good deal was for Komui, too. He emptied out all of their accounts, took the money and decided to use it to get himself and Lenalee to England. He didn't know much about the place, but he knew it wasn't really kind to the destitute. Then again, nowhere was and at this rate they were destined to become just that. Komui couldn't keep Lenalee alive and fed that way. He was going to get to Soho Square in London, if he could find it and he was fairly good with geography so he was sure he could at least get them in that general area.

The trip over was longer and harder than he expected. Budgeting was difficult enough when he was using his local currency, but he constantly needed to go to the exchange and he knew that if he weren't so adept at math and if he didn't know English he would've been swindled out of a lot of money, just because he was a teenager and people thought they could trick him.

But he did make it to England, and it was easy enough to make his way to London. Of course, once he got there he was completely out of money and he didn't want to risk living as homeless for even a day while he had Lenalee with him. If he was by himself he wouldn't mind it at all, but he wasn't and he wouldn't endanger his precious sister. He needed to find shelter, and he needed to find shelter in a safe place.

Faintly, he remembered that the foreigner had always kept a cross around his neck. It took a moment for Komui to think of why he would remember something like that while wandering the streets with his baby sister. Komui had thought it was strange that the foreigner was a religious man when he was so involved with science. He'd asked once about it and the foreigner had said that God had proven himself just as surely as any science had. He'd said that God had helped him through plenty of things, as well as the church…

A church. Komui was remembering this because that foreigner had told him about the churches in London. Perhaps someone there could help, or at the very least they could take shelter in the chapel for the night. Komui made finding a church his top priority.

It wasn't so hard to find one, as it turned out. It was midday when he stumbled upon one, just across the street from what looked like a school. That was pretty convenient, the foreigner he knew had once told him education was compulsory in England for children, and now Komui knew where he could send Lenalee when she was old enough.

The tall, graying stone building with its large wooden doors was a bit intimidating at first, but Komui was tired and hardly cared. Hesitantly he entered the church, his little sister holding his hand, tottering beside him.

"Um…Excuse me, anyone here?" Komui asked quietly. He felt like he was trespassing on sacred ground or something; Komui didn't even believe in these people's God and yet he was going to ask for their help. His eyes focused on a small figure to the very back of the church, near the alter. The person stood and looked back at them. It was a woman, and she looked to be in her late 20s. Slowly, the woman made her way to Komui and his sister. Not sure what to make of this woman, Komui picked up Lenalee and held her to him protectively.

"Ah…Hello sir, is there anything I can do for you?" She asked, much less wary of him than he was of her. Komui tried to calm down, though he found it hard to.

"Um… I'm not really sure if you can help or not but… My little sister and I don't have anywhere to stay, and I was hoping someone here could be of some assistance…" Komui wasn't really sure how anyone here could help him, now that he thought about it. Maybe he was being stupid, and this woman was just going to tell him so?

Contrary to what he'd expected, the woman's face became worried as she looked from Komui to the tired, slightly frightened girl in his arms. Lenalee was clinging to his shirt, her face buried in his chest as though she really believed he could protect her from everything. So far he'd done a pretty good job of it. Eventually though, she looked over to the woman, who was speaking to her in a soothing voice. Komui had only ever talked to her in Chinese, she had learned to speak fairly early but even she had no idea what the lady was saying to her. Komui knew that the woman was doing her best to ease Lenalee's fears, and he felt that anyone who was so concerned about his dear sister couldn't be bad.

He knew that the moment Lenalee looked at the woman with her round, perfect eyes that the woman was taken with her. Maternal instinct seemed to take over, and the woman looked up to Komui.

"I think that we should be able to help you, but I will have to ask the priest first. For now though, please feel free to stay in the church. I will go find Father Marc and get the two of you something to eat. Does that sound alright?"

"Uh…Yes, that would be very much appreciated, thank you," Komui said awkwardly. He hadn't been expecting to meet someone so kind first thing upon entering London. The woman, she'd identified herself as a nun belonging to the church's associated convent, whisked out of the church hall, and came back a few moments later with a middle-aged man and two sandwiches. Lenalee was so happy and thankful that Komui couldn't help but be doubly thankful for the nun's kindness.

"Hello, I'm Father Marc. I've heard a bit about your situation from Sister Claire. Would you mind explaining it for me? After that, we can work out a plan to help the two of you. How does that sound?" The man spoke with a soothing tone, his very presence was enough to reassure Komui that everything would turn out right, one way or another.

"That sounds fine. Thank you so much sir."

000

Together with Father Marc and Sister Claire, Komui worked out a deal that would allow both himself and Lenalee to stay in the church. Lenalee would be given a room in the convent (though she was not obligated to become a nun or anything of the sort), and Komui would stay in the rectory with the father, simply because as a male he couldn't be allowed to stay in the convent. Komui would do chores around the church to earn their keep, and when Lenalee was old enough she would start attending the school across the street. They were welcome to stay as long as they wanted, though Father Marc made it clear that Komui had to work diligently, and he had to find himself a proper job and place of residence by the time he was 18. Komui would've been grateful for just a night's stay; he hadn't been prepared for this sort of kindness.

Maybe that foreigner wasn't so off when he said God proved himself?

000

The nuns seemed to have absolutely no inclination to turn Lenalee into a nun herself. They were definitely trying to bring her up in God, and they were doing a wonderful job of teaching her English, but they all seemed to think she'd make the most darling bride when she was old enough to marry, and hoped that they'd get to see her walk down the isle of their church. That was when Komui started worrying about Lenalee getting married. He had to admit that she definitely would make an adorable bride, and she'd definitely be one worth having, but she'd be much too good for all those boys! She couldn't get married, because her husband would take her away from him!

More than anything, Komui was starting to wish that Lenalee would choose to be a nun.

During the daytime, when Lenalee was being taught English by the nuns and Komui was done with his morning chores and had free time, he would sit out in the church yard and read. His textbooks had been undamaged by the fire because they hadn't been in the same house, and considering they were the _only_ things that had made it through the fire, Komui felt it was only logical to take them on their journey. He'd bought a suitcase for them and some necessities for himself and Lenalee before they left. He'd taken to reading a bit every day during his free time; the churchyard was so pretty and calm.

Komui didn't really sit in the yard though, he preferred sitting on the wall that surrounded the church. It was a medium-height wall that was a little difficult to climb on top of, but it was well worth it to climb up there everyday; the churchyard looked better from a bird's eye view. There was better lighting too, because there were no trees in the way. His eyes were pretty bad as it was; he was considering getting glasses when he could afford them.

Something he started noticing after a while was that everyday someone walked by the wall he sat on. It was always that same one person; a boy, maybe his age, maybe a bit older, with long vermilion hair that hung free of any bindings, so unlike Komui's sleek black hair that hung down his back in a long ponytail. Sometimes the stranger would be with a woman, and Komui noticed that he was never with the same woman twice. At first, Komui didn't pay the boy any mind; who cared if someone decided to walk past the church everyday? It was no concern of his.

But then Komui noticed something about this person—every time he walked by, he looked at Komui curiously. It wasn't a bad sort of curiosity, the boy was just curious. He peered at Komui everyday from under a sheet of his pretty red hair, whether he was with a woman or not. Komui noticed that half of his face was covered with a mask, he started wondering why.

One day, Komui was simply far too absorbed in his reading to care when the teen walked by, not to say he ever had, really. That was the day he should've been paying attention though, because if he had then that person wouldn't have had the chance to sneak up on him and blow into his ear. Komui jolted and nearly fell off the wall, and his book fell to the ground. The teen chuckled and carefully bent down to pick up the book. He examined the cover for a moment, a mix of amusement and surprise on his face.

"Reading science texts on the church wall? A little blasphemous, isn't it?" The boy asked, his voice was deep though not oddly so, and smooth as silk. It teased the ear sensually and Komui was lost in the sound for a moment. Then he looked at the teen who'd spoken, really looked at him for the first time from a distance where he could clearly see his face. The face he was staring into was just as beautiful as the voice that it had spoken with.

Komui shook himself out of his daze and answered the boy a little rudely, "Not really. I got this from a devote Christian. He wouldn't have even touched this if it said anything against God. I imagine that's why he ripped anything concerning evolution out of my textbooks." And Komui knew that's what the foreigner had ripped out only because the missing pages were the pages listed for evolution in the table of contents and index.

"If you say so, stranger," the boy said with a shrug, not seeming to care that he was talking to someone he didn't know. "But if you're reading that, then I can guess that you're interested in science?"

"How astute of you," Komui said dryly. This guy exuded an air of self-confidence that bordered on arrogance so closely it was annoying. Besides, blowing into someone's ear was definitely not the proper way to greet someone. Komui wasn't partial to arrogant jerks, gorgeous or not.

"Your manners astound and amaze," the stranger said with a roll of the eye, Komui snorted at his sarcasm.

"I might've been prompted to be more polite had I been given a proper greeting."

"Oh, is that all?" The stranger said, as though he couldn't believe he even needed to do something so normal. "In that case, my name is Cross Marian, heir to the Marian family. What might your name be miss?"

"Not a girl, ass." Komui had been mistaken for a girl before, and with his delicate face and long hair he could understand why. It was still a blow to his pride though, and it definitely didn't make him like this foreigner any.

"I know, your figure is hardly feminine. I was just curious about what your reaction would be." As doubtful as Komui was about that statement, one look at that smirking face (so annoying he just wanted to punch it) and he knew the bastard was telling the truth.

"I've got to say though, even if you can find a loophole in reading physics books on the church wall, I doubt you can think of an excuse for swearing on it."

"…" Komui opened his mouth to reply with an annoyed "Screw you," but he didn't feel like prompting the boy, Cross, to talk anymore than he had. Komui felt that Cross had been very properly named; he certainly made Komui feel cross.

"You know, when someone gives you their name, it's only polite to give your own in return," Cross said with a hint of impatience in his face. Komui raised an eyebrow to the statement and snatched his book back from the boy, still such a stranger to him, and deigned to reply.

"Lee, my name is Komui Lee."

"Komui Lee, hm? A name just as pretty and exotic as you are." It was Komui's turn to roll his eyes now, but he did so with his lips turned up into a bit of a smirk. It was plain as day that Cross was joking when he said that, he was just being sarcastic.

"Your lines won't work on me, playboy, find another victim," Komui said with a hint of mirth. Cross chuckled behind his hand.

"I think I'm going to like you, Komui Lee."

"Really? Because I think I'm going to hate you."

000

Despite himself, Komui found himself not hating Cross Marian. That sort of pissed him off because he'd been very determined to dislike this character. Cross was a morally corrupt womanizer and was only 16, a year older than Komui. He did so many things that went against Komui's own ideas of right and wrong, and even Father Marc had told him to beware of getting sucked into iniquity by Cross, for goodness' sake! Even so, Komui found himself inexplicably drawn to this person, there was just something very alluring in the sinful nature of this man.

Of course, it helped that Cross was just as into the sciences as Komui was. That had been how it started; everyday Cross would stop at the church wall and they'd talked over different theories and laws and the specific fields that interested them. They spent hours talking over higher-level science, sounding for all the world like a couple of old scientists who'd tested every theory and proved every law themselves. Komui hadn't really gotten the impression that Cross would be so intelligent when they'd first met, but truly the man was a genius.

Eventually, they started talking about more personal things, too. Marian talked about this girl he absolutely hated but was going to have to marry (to Komui, it sounded like Cross was head-over-heals for this girl), and Komui talked about Lenalee and the foreigner he'd befriended so long ago. They never bothered to find a different place to meet; a change of scenery never crossed their minds. It was easy enough to stay near the church and besides, Komui couldn't leave the premises without permission.

"Soho isn't too far away from here, you know," Cross said one day as they were discussing Komui's old friend, "If you want to see him, we could always walk there."

"No, I can't right now," Komui said immediately. He didn't want that foreigner to know he was living off the charity of a church with his little sister, it would too embarrassing, and he knew his old friend would offer him help. He didn't know if he'd be able to resist that man's generosity this time around. Naturally Komui didn't explain that to Cross, but he had the feeling that the other boy knew without being told.

"Hm, to each their own I guess." Cross shrugged and hopped off of the church wall just as the bell rung three. "In any case, I've got a date."

"With Maria, I hope," Komui said; he had yet to meet this mysterious girl, but Komui would prefer it if Cross was faithful to her. Cross just grinned and rolled his eye, which was answer enough for Komui. Poor Maria, how on earth would she fair, being married to this threat to women everywhere? Though if Cross' stories were anything to go by she wasn't much better. The black-haired boy sighed, it was impossible to understand those sorts of people.

000

Winters in England were a lot gloomier than they were back home, Komui realized as he shivered through his first winter there. He was sincerely thankful that Father Marc hadn't decided to boot him after one year; Komui was becoming unsure of whether or not he could survive without the church's kindness. Lenalee wouldn't be so well off, that much could be certain.

It was too cold to sit on top of the church wall, instead Komui used it to block the cool wind that whipped around him as he waited for Cross. He half-expected that the spoiled brat wouldn't show.

"Huh, and here I thought that you wouldn't leave the rectory while it was so cold." Apparently Komui wasn't the only one with his doubts.

"I didn't think a pampered boy like you could withstand the elements either." Cross laughed his deep, rich laugh that smoothed Komui's annoyance mysteriously. He sat back on his haunches next to Komui, watching as fluffy white snow was tossed around carelessly by the wind. A moment of silence passed between the two teens.

"You know, the guy who kept the records for my family died recently. Didn't really know the old bugger so I can't say I miss him," Cross said suddenly and for what seemed to be no reason. Komui gave him a strange look, not understanding why Cross would bring that up.

"Why tell me that if you don't care?" Komui asked, and with his eyebrow raised he turned to look at Cross. Said spoiled teen sighed in exasperation.

"That means his job is open, stupid. He mainly did accounting for the multiple companies my family owns. You're a genius at math. Take a moment to think about what that might mean for you and your sister who are currently living at the mercy of the church."

Komui didn't have to think long before he understood what Cross was saying. This was a job offer. For a moment, he didn't know if he really wanted to take that offer, after all he definitely didn't want to work under his arrogant friend. Still, when Komui thought about it while thinking about what was best for Lenalee, the offer was much more appealing. The two of them would be out of the church when he turned eighteen in two years, Komui had to find himself a steady job that paid enough to at least keep the two of them out of the east end of town because he refused to subject Lenalee to that sort of living. Cross' offer was just so perfect.

"But I'm only 16."

"And you look like you're 13, but it's your brain that matters, not your age. You could do higher level math in your sleep than you'd have to for this job."

"I imagine there will be some sort of test to see if I could actually do the job, no?"

"Mana will probably see if you can do the math and he'll walk you through the first few weeks of working, but I can't imagine you'd slip up too badly."

"Who is going to take care of Lenalee while I'm working?"

"She'll have to go to school next year, right? Until then she can tag along with Mana, he's great with brats. Maybe Maria, if you'd prefer a woman watch her. Maria's always going on about wanting a little sister, she'd take care of Lenalee as good as any nun."

"Just how is this Maria character anything like a nun? I never got _that_ impression of her." Cross laughed for a moment before going on.

"She knows how to act in front of kids, at least. Personally I think she'd have come out better if she'd had a sibling to set an example for."

"Don't talk as if you're any less corrupt than she is. Besides, from what you say, she hates you, so she'll probably hate me by default. What makes you think she'll take care of my sister when she's busy hating me for being associated with you?"

"…Just say you'll take the fucking job already Komui, it's too cold out for me to walk over here everyday, and I know you'd be just torn if I didn't visit your cage often."

For a moment Komui scowled at Cross, annoyed with him for having the audacity to think that his absence would have any affect of Komui. But he couldn't stay angry for long, and a moment later he was exhaling loudly, ruffling his bangs to stop himself from laughing.

"So your pampered ass really can't stand to weather the elements after all. Pansy."

"Could you just take the damn job already?"

000

Komui had felt much more confident about taking this job while listening to Cross go on about how great he'd be at it than he was now. The Marian manor was much more intimidating than the humble church he lived at had ever been. It was tall, beautiful and extravagant. Komui was hesitant to just pass the gate, even though the guard hardly looked menacing. That probably had something to do with the fact that Cross was standing beside him, and no one would dare frighten the young master's guest. Damn rich people.

Mana came to greet the two on the walkway to the front door of the mansion. He was a middle-aged man with strong features who was graying just a bit. Komui knew him from the stories Cross told about him; he was fatherly and had raised Cross since before the young master could remember. Mana had also accompanied Cross out a few times to the church wall. He too, seemed much more intimidating than he had before, especially considering he was the one who really held Komui's hopes in his hands.

A bit of Komui's fears dissipated when Mana smiled warmly at the two. "Good afternoon you two. I already know of your aptitude for mathematics, Komui, so I don't really think this little test is necessary. Let's get these formalities out of the way now, shall we?" Komui nodded numbly to the question and tried to calm himself enough to actually do this.

The test was laughably easy; Komui could've passed it in his sleep. Mana had just given him a few copies of the old accounting books that Komui's predecessor had used, and had him fill them out properly, doing the math he needed to along the way. It hadn't even taken Komui an hour to breeze though it and so by the end of the day, he had a job. He had a home, too; a real home that he would be working for and get to keep for himself, not just two little rooms in a rectory and convent.

It was very begrudgingly that Komui thanked Cross for this; he hated knowing that he'd had to rely on yet another person's charity to get him what he wanted and needed. What was it with foreigners and doting on him, anyway? Komui didn't understand it. Still, he definitely owed Cross, so he did try to express his thanks.

Unfortunately, in the middle of his hesitant thanks and Cross' smug acceptance of said thanks, an interloper entered the scene. She had to be the most beautiful interloper Komui'd ever seen. The girl was about his age, with moon-pale skin and the most delicate face. Her eyes were cat-like in their shape with long black lashes and deep chocolate irises. Her red lips turned upwards just a bit in a somewhat amused expression. Lush dark brown hair was piled on her head in a detailed fashion that Komui couldn't hope to comprehend, some of it coming down to frame her elegant face. Komui did his best to keep his eyes on her face, he didn't dare let them stray towards her shapely body for more than a second.

There was no doubt in Komui's mind that this beautiful woman—a girl really, but boy did she look like a woman—was Maria, Cross' fiancé. Physically she was perfect, but Komui could see the sharpness in her eyes that made it clear that her personality was probably a bit crueler.

"Hm, I've seen Cross bring home a lot of women before, but this is the first time he's brought a man home for the night," she said, looking reading to burst into laughter. Her eyes cut to Cross' face, amusement making them shine. For the first time Komui watched genuine annoyance and even a hint of embarrassment come over Cross' features. Mana sighed and dragged a hand down his face.

"It's not like that Maria and you know it," Cross ground out through his teeth. Komui tried to stop himself from feeling too awkward. "I told you I'd be bringing Komui here for a job interview today. He's a friend of mine."

"I know, I know. Damn it all though, I was really hoping you were of that persuasion," she said with a resigned sigh. "Looks like I'm stuck with you after all."

"No one's stopping you from running away if you hate the idea so much princess."

"Maybe I will."

"Good."

"Jerk."

Cross' reply was cut off suddenly when a strange, almost strangled noise made it's way out of Komui's throat. The bickering, reluctant couple both looked at him strangely. Try as he might, Komui couldn't keep it in anymore, and a moment later started laughing almost hysterically.

"What's so funny?" Maria asked, not quite getting the joke and feeling a bit peeved to know she was being laughed at.

"I-I get why Cross hates you so much now," Komui said when there was enough air in his lungs, "You're just like him!"

000

"I demand you take what you said back, Mr. Komui!"

"But it's true."

It had been a week since Komui had come to the Marian manor, and both he and Lenalee had recently finished moving in. Leaving the church had been a sad thing, but Komui promised Father Marc and Sister Claire that he would have the two of them in church every Sunday so it wasn't like they'd never meet again. Neither Cross nor Maria had let his comment about them being the same go.

"It is not true! I am nothing like that womanizing, arrogant, self-absorbed scoundrel!"

"Strange, Cross said the same thing to me, only he said he wasn't like 'That man-eating, proud, vain hussy.' Even your descriptions of each other are identical in meaning."

Maria huffed, her delicate hands clenching into fists. _'Cross made just that same expression,'_ Komui thought with a chuckle, and continued walking to his room. Maria seemed to realize that he wasn't paying attention to her and followed him, determined to get him to pay her enough mind to see that she _clearly_ was _nothing_ like Cross. It reminded Komui of the way Cross had followed him around as he'd packed up to leave the church.

"_I'm nothing like her, how could you say that?"_

"_On the contrary, it's uncanny just how alike you are."_

"Oh come on Komui, there has to be something different about the two of us; you can't say we're just alike, no two people are."

"You're right; there is a difference between you."

"I knew you'd see the light."

"Yes, you're of different genders."

"Ugh." Maria looked ready to hit her head against the wall in frustration. Or maybe she wanted to bash Komui's against the cold stones, he couldn't be sure. He imagined that Maria wasn't used to having people not do as she said, and she was probably _very_ unused to men shirking off her orders the way Komui was. He felt impervious to her charms, most likely because he'd met Cross first and everything she did made him think "Cross would've done the same" and that was a bit of a turn-off. Besides, Komui was too upright to even think of letting himself be seduced by his friend's fiancé.

"You're so difficult, Komui," she said, her tone changing to one that was a bit pleading in a decidedly not-innocent way. His eyebrows shot up as he looked at her, pretty face pouting perfectly as she stared at him. Without meaning to Komui imagined Cross' equivalent to that expression and shuddered at the thought. He needed to get out of the habit of comparing them.

"I suppose I am."

"What, I wonder…" Maria was suddenly closer, looking seductive. Komui thanked God his room was just a few steps away. If he made it into the door he could shut her out and shake off the unpleasant feeling this situation gave him. "Does it take to break through to a man like you?" The light pressure of her perfectly manicured hand on his arm was warm, inviting in a way it shouldn't have been. Komui took another sure step towards his room; she was getting much too close to be proper.

"Okay, two differences then. I don't think Cross would ever attempt to seduce me," Komui said as he reached his door. He gently pushed her away, with a small smile on his face. He could tell that she wasn't so serious about this seduction; it was probably a game to her at this point. She smirked at her small victory.

"Then again if he were desperate enough, who knows," Komui added sarcastically. Maria snorted at the thought.

"You're funny, Komui," she said, no longer seductive. She was just a girl now, just a sixteen-year-old like himself who wasn't expressing her hate for her fiancé by coming on to anything in pants.

"Funny indeed." The two teens jolted when they heard the third voice. Slowly the two turned to see Cross leaning on the wall about a meter away from them. His expression was one of amusement, but Komui could see something brewing just below the surface that made him feel endangered. Maria didn't seem to notice it though, maybe she just ignoring it.

"Oops, looks like you've caught me with your man, Cross," she joked, and stood on her toes to kiss Komui's cheek, "I guess I should leave before the lovers' spat breaks out." Maria was quick to leave the hall, a bit of a giggle passing through he lips as she did. Komui was now certain that she'd seen the jealousy in Cross' eyes, and he knew something else, too; she wanted him to feel jealous.

Komui was dragged into his room and promptly slammed against the large mahogany doors.

"What the hell was that Komui?" Cross ground out clearly furious. Komui tried not to loose his head over how frightening Cross could be when angry.

"You were right there, Cross. You should've been able to realize that she wasn't serious in her pursuit of me and that I was clearly pushing her away."

"You were headed for your room."

"So I could shut her out. I'm not about to fall for my friend's woman." Cross took a step back from Komui with a longsuffering sigh. He moved back to sit on Komui's bed, both of his large hands raking through his long hair.

"Sorry, Komui, I was being stupid. It's just….ugh, she drives me crazy with the way she acts!" As Komui watched Cross burn in jealousy, he knew he'd been right to think that Cross really did love Maria, despite how much he said to the contrary. Something about that almost hurt and Komui didn't know why.

000

"_Ge-ge do I really have to go?"_ Lenalee looked up at Komui with her adorable round eyes anxiously. It was her first day of school, and Komui was just as hesitant to let her go as she was to leave.

"_Yes, Lenalee. Don't worry, you'll love school. All your friends from the convent are here, and you're so cute you're bound to make a lot of new ones!" _Komui tried to sooth her fears while speaking calmingly in their mother tongue to her, but even he was worried. She looked so different from all of the children milling around the schoolyard, she was sure to be picked on. As Komui's eyes scanned the crowds of kids he noticed that she didn't look so different from _all_ of them. One boy stood by the school wall that looked to be of Asian origin, so at least she wasn't the only one who was different. He could tell that same boy had caught her eye a moment later.

"_You'll do fine, Lenalee… You're such a sweet girl, of course you'll be fine."_ Komui dropped to his knees to hug her as the school bell rang. _"You're growing up so fast, and in school already…I'm going to miss not having you at home with me."_

"_Ge-ge, you're embarrassing…"_ She muttered even as she hugged him back. Komui smiled a bit and stood back up.

"I suppose I am. Now run along, you don't want to be late," Komui said, switching to English. Lenalee nodded, and headed to the Asian boy near the wall, who was now talking to a redhead. He hoped she wouldn't be late to her first class.

Komui also hoped that those two boys were nice to her, because they'd have hell to pay if they weren't.

000

The fact that Lenalee had quickly made friends at school took a lot of stress off Komui's shoulders, though the fact that they were both boys (boys! Those things turned into hormone-driven dogs when they grew up!) was a whole new worry to deal with. For the first time in a while Komui sincerely hoped Lenalee decided to join the convent.

However, as long as Lenalee was well taken care of at school, Komui didn't have to worry about her. That meant he had to either focus on work or on his own problem. His problem was that his work was too mind-numbing and repetitive to block out his other problems. Damn it all. His other problems weren't financial in nature; he was well-paid and was set for life, really. His worries were of an emotional nature. They had to do with Cross and Maria. Or just Cross in general.

He'd been realizing it more and more recently, as the deadline for Cross' marriage loomed ever nearer, that he liked not the young master's destined bride-to-be, but her bridegroom! Besides the fact that such feelings went against all the things he'd been taught by that foreigner from so long ago and by the priest he'd lived with for so long, he felt sick for falling for a friend, a taken man! Komui must've had something wrong with him, maybe he'd inhaled one too many poisonous chemicals while working in Cross' labs?

Komui had to do something about this, he couldn't let himself feel something so wrong for much longer. At the moment, Cross and Maria still had a bittersweet relationship. They were always fighting, but something about their fights had changed; it was like they were two actors simply performing opposing roles when they really loved each other off stage. But neither of them wanted to outright admit that they loved the other, so perhaps if Komui gave them a bit of a push in the right direction and they just admitted their feelings to each other, he could kill whatever feeling it was that persisted in his own heart?

One day, when the two of them had chosen to bicker in his office (his nice, if not ridiculously cluttered office), he got so annoyed with them that he decided to actually put this plan into action.

"Goodness you two! I get it already; you know how to yell at each other! Now could you please for the love of all that is holy just skip to the part where you accidently admit you fucking love each other and get out of my office?!"

The two had stopped mid-yell to stare at him, and then stare at each other. Komui could see it as the truth of his words made itself known to them and they turned back to each other, looking for all the world like two shy, awkward school children.

"You…You know what? Komui is right," Cross said once he'd regained his bearings, "I'll be a man and admit it. Maria, I've never once actually thought it would be a bad thing to marry you. I've been looking forward to it for years."

"Oh…Cross…" Maria's eyes were watery and she bit her bottom lip before it could start to tremble. She launched herself into his arms and let out a happy sob into his chest. Something in Komui clenched painfully as the desire to destroy their relationship grew in him and boiled violently. He locked it away into a little drawer in the back of his mind, and just let those feelings crush him as he watched the two resolve themselves.

A few moments later when Komui's hopes were good and gone, he cleared his throat and broke up their moment.

"I'm happy you two are happy now, but it's time for the two of you to move this little love confession out of my office," Komui said, managing to sound surprisingly honest about his words. The two had the grace to look embarrassed, and quickly left the room, most likely headed for one of their bedrooms. The moment they left, Komui sighed and put his head in his hands. Killing off his own emotions hurt.

000

Komui watched for two years as both Cross and Maria gave up their lovers one-by-one, locked away their liquor and threw their cigarettes into the trash. It was so sweet it was nearly sickening to watch them, but at least the hopelessness Komui felt because of the situation was enough to smother his feelings for the time being. He even felt sort of happy for them, because he wanted to see Cross happy; he wanted to see both of his friends happy. He'd even managed to stop himself from strangling Maria in the night by thinking about how happy they were. All in all, Komui thought he was doing pretty good.

Of course, now that the wedding was all of two weeks away and Komui was expected to act the part of an overjoyed best man, he wasn't so sure he could keep this up. What if he did something rash during the wedding, what if he ruined things for Cross? Komui imagined that wouldn't be forgiven easily. He was sure he felt more nervous about the wedding than both Cross and Maria combined.

That day while he tried to release his stress with science (sweet, cold science had never betrayed him!), Maria came into the lab alone to talk to him. This was highly unusual for two reasons; one, Cross had been attached to her hip for the last year and a half, and two, she had always refused to enter the labs.

"Komui, you don't have to force yourself to be so supportive," she said bluntly once she was sure she held Komui's full attention. For a moment his mind couldn't think of what she was talking about. Sighing, Maria went on to explain, "The Marriage. You don't have to be so supportive when I know you don't really feel that way."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Komui said nonchalantly, hoping to sound as sure of this as he wanted to.

"Don't lie to me; I've seen you looking at him. You look at Cross the way I do."

"I sure hope I don't." Komui knew he did; only he looked more hopeless than she.

"It's okay, Komui, really. Honestly, I'm sort of glad someone besides me loves him," she said with a strange tone of voice that Komui didn't really understand. That was such a strange statement, especially coming from her; she was so possessive of Cross usually, how odd it was of her to say she wanted competition. Not to say Komui was any competition for this positively stunning woman, no one was.

"You're acting strange, Maria," Komui said in a dubious voice. There was something so wrong about this whole thing, he just couldn't place it. Maria sighed and looked away from him.

"Honestly, I feel strange, too."

"Oh goodness, you're pregnant, aren't you? Do you feel sick? If so then please get out of here, the chemicals I'm working with aren't the healthiest to breathe in anyway."

"NO YOU IDIOT! Not that kind of strange! Just…I don't know!" She groaned in annoyance, and for a moment Komui could tell she was debating making him drink his solvent. He hoped she didn't decide to do it, it was poisonous…

"So you've just got cold feet, Maria? That's plenty normal, everyone feels that way before they get married. Just think of how happy you'll be when it's all over and the two of you are honeymooning in Barcelona." Maria let out a short laugh at the thought. Something in it was strained though, and it clued Komui in to the fact that there was something bigger than a case of the wedding blues going on here.

"You're right, Komui. I've just got to think about the happiness we'll share…" Maria's gaze was far away, but Komui couldn't help feel that she wasn't thinking about Cross.

000

"Ugh, make 'er go 'way…" Cross groaned drunkenly as he stumbled into Komui's bedroom. It was two weeks after the wedding, or at least two weeks had passed since the date the wedding had been set for.

Maria had run away and left only a note behind, explaining that she'd run off with one lover that she had never let go of. Cross had already gone through feelings of shock and anger, and now he was sinking into depression. Komui had never imagined that Cross could feel depressed, it was so…wrong. Komui had never wanted something like this for his friend.

"I can't make her go away Cross, she isn't here," Komui said, sitting up and getting out of bed. Cross tripped over his feet a bit as he made his way over to Komui. The man hadn't had a drink in two years, his tolerance for alcohol had clearly diminished somewhat. Then again, he'd been trashed for nearly two weeks straight; it was no surprise that it was showing.

"Don' lie Komuiiii… Y'always made 'er go…" Komui raised an eyebrow to the man; he couldn't recall one instance where he'd actually managed to make Maria leave a place when she hadn't wanted to herself. He'd never had any power over Maria, just like he'd never had any over Cross.

"Don't be silly Cross, I can't make her leave if she's not here."

"She's in m' head… Get 'er out."

"Oh yes, just let me reach into your ear and pull your thoughts out that way…" Komui muttered under his breath. Cross missed every word he said.

"You've done it b'fore… get her out again." Komui was pretty sure Cross had finally reached the stage of drunkenness where one started spewing out nonsensical drivel, and decided to put Cross to sleep soon. Komui could go sleep in Lenalee's room, or he could just stay awake and make sure Cross didn't over-sleep, but either way he didn't want to hear all of the strange things Cross was bound to say to him while conscious.

"I've never been able to get her out of your thoughts, idiot," Komui said quietly as he led Cross to his bed. Cross' eye narrowed and he faced Komui, stopping the younger man in his tracks. He took Komui's face in his hands ('_Stop fluttering heart, now is hardly the time,_' Komui told himself), and looked his straight in the eyes.

"You can, Komui. Do it now," Cross demanded, sounding much more sober than he actually was. Komui shook his head, denying Cross. He didn't want to think about what Cross was saying, the redhead was going to confuse him with his drunken rambling, and he couldn't allow that.

"I can't."

"Please." As far as Komui had known, that word had never been in Cross' vocabulary. A pleading Cross was… so, so wrong.

So tempting.

When Komui didn't make a move to back away or obey, Cross took it upon himself to initiate contact. He drew himself closer, so close to Komui's lips that the young man could feel the heat of his master's breath on him, so promising… But at the last moment Komui denied himself and pushed away.

"You're drunk," he said simply, more as a reminder to himself than to Cross, "I can't." Komui wasn't going to do let Cross do something that he would regret later, he didn't want to even be tempted to let it happen. Taking a deep, stabilizing breath, Komui walked away from Cross and left the room.

Komui wished he could do the wrong thing for once.

**Ah…this chapter was even longer than the last! We'll get back to smaller chapters next time…oh goodness, that was crazy long. By the way, the place where Saya stopped this is about a year before Allen comes to the Marian manor. That's not such a big thing in Komui's life, so it didn't get into this chapter. Next chapter we go back to normal! Unless, of course, anyone wants some backstory on one of the other characters? These sort of chapters can really just be dispersed anywhere in the story, so Saya supposes that if a lot of people want the same character's backstory she can just add that chapter to this whenever… But whatever, y'all probably just wanna get back to normal. **


	11. Investigation

**Ah…Saya just realized this was on her computer and that she forgot to post it...But anyway, Saya's decided to put in a bit about Cross and Allen's vacation, even though it was really more or less a honeymoon n.n; Those two… And some…plot-movement, maybe? Who the heck knows anyway? Certainly not Saya. She should try and plan this out more.**

**Disclaimer: Saya doesn't own the actors, just the script they're acting to.**

**Warnings: Rated M for sexual material en masse, and pedophilia, considering how both Cross and Tyki are much older than Allen.**

**11. Investigation**

"You've been taking longer and longer to return home lately Lavi," Tyki said, sipping at a cup of Darjeeling tea, "Meeting a secret lover when your master isn't looking?"

Despite himself Lavi jumped a bit at the accusation. It was true that ever since he'd found out where Kanda was he'd been visiting the raven-haired boy on a nearly daily basis, but Yuu wasn't his lover… He was just a long-lost best friend who happened to be his first love. Yuu would probably strangle him if Lavi were to ever tell him that anyone had thought them lovers.

"Is that the pot calling the kettle black, sir? You've always taken longer than me to get back from your walks, just who is it you used to meet every morning?" Damnit, he'd sounded too defensive and bringing up those walks seemed to have annoyed Tyki greatly. Of late Tyki had been acting as he normally did, but only for as long as no one brought up those walks. It was mysterious, though his master's reaction to that question raised Lavi's suspicions.

The older man huffed then scowled, his posture becoming a bit stiff in his chair as he closed his eyes in an attempt to reign in his annoyance. "Please, who don't I meet in the mornings? It's a constant barrage of hellos."

"I thought you enjoyed socializing sir."

"I do, which is why I always stayed out so long." He did like socializing, but the person he wanted to socialize with was currently out of the country and wouldn't be coming back for another month. Allen probably hated him anyway for that stunt he'd tried to pull in the coach. Clearly his life was over for the time being.

Lavi realized that Tyki didn't want to dwell on the things he did during the mornings, and tactfully changed the subject.

"In truth I've been meeting a friend whom I lost contact with six years ago. Originally I had gone to the Marian manor to visit Lenalee, I think you've met her once or twice, but it turned out that another one of my primary school friends now works there."

Tyki's expression was strangely surprised when he heard Lavi mention Cross Marian's mansion; it was the sort of surprise one showed when something they were familiar with was mentioned. How odd, as far as Lavi knew Tyki and Cross got along in an interesting sort of way; it was a battle of the egos any time they met. They were social rivals, almost, though they were not familiar in any way. The redhead didn't think Tyki would get angry with him for meeting someone there, either. Therefore, Lavi could see no reason for Tyki to give any reaction to hearing that name.

"Oh, what a coincidence, the two must've been good friends if it was so easy for you to pick up where you left off so quickly," Tyki said, focusing his attention on Lavi's story. The butler had to say he appreciated Tyki's attentiveness.

"Yeah, we were best friends in primary school," Lavi said as he picked a stray book off of a shelf that he knew it didn't belong on. Something in his expression hinted to the aristocrat that the two of them had been a bit more than friends. He gave a small grin at the thought of Lavi having a sweetheart.

"Why did the two of you lose contact though, if that's not too personal a question to ask?"

"Ah…" Lavi scratched his cheek as he grinned a bit awkwardly, "We got into a spot of trouble and it was determined that I shouldn't be seen with him after that." Tyki raised an eyebrow at that statement.

"Oh my, what did you mischievous boys do?" Tyki asked teasingly. Lavi flushed up to his hairline at the insinuation in his master's voice.

"Nothing! I just… It wasn't his fault…" A troubled look came to Lavi's lone eye and Tyki decided this was not the appropriate topic to dwell on.

"Well then, it's certainly a miracle that you've met this person again," Tyki said, and that particular conversation ended there.

000

The first month of their vacation had been spent lazily drifting around the mansion in Venice. This was their vacation after all, they'd come here to relax and get away from work. The first thing on their to-do list was sleep. Allen worked so much during the year that sleep tended to allude him, and well between Cross' parties and his experiments that often took him to the lights of dawn (not to mention the work that he did actually do, despite popular belief), the master didn't get much sleep himself. So Allen released his responsibilities for a while and Cross refused all invitations he received, choosing instead to spend their nights sleeping and their days curled up in the recesses of the old mansion.

But of course that got boring after a while. By the end of the first month Cross was out sight-seeing on a daily basis and Allen was caring for him in any way he possibly could. This city made them careless, or maybe not so much careless as daring. Like two mischievous teenagers they would steal kisses in dark corners of restaurants or on the gondola when the gondolier wasn't paying attention to them, their fingers brushed as they walked down the street, each time coming closer and closer to intertwining completely. If anyone noticed anything they quickly dismissed it as a trick of the mind; Cross was a well-established womanizer, certainly he wouldn't bother with his _butler_.

More than half the time they returned home feeling foolish, but it was a happy sort of feeling that made for warm memories. They weren't around their close friends or employees or snooty family members who were putting pressure on Cross to get married, who were putting pressure on Allen to be a perfectly reliable butler, who would disapprove of them if they knew. With that weight temporarily off of their shoulders, they changed. They would go back to being normal later, when the pressure was back on.

For now though, their biggest worry was...

"No way in hell Master."

"Oh, you're no fun Allen."

"You squeeze yourself into that contraption and then try to tell me that."

"But if you did, then we wouldn't have to be the least bit secretive on the streets, we'd just do as we please."

"Yeah, if I don't pass out first. You're just a pervert who wants to see me in frills."

"You know me too well."

Allen sighed and shook his head, glaring at the…the _thing_ Cross held in his arms. It was frilly, lacy, puffy, and completely feminine in design; of course it was, it was a dress. Cross was attempting to convince him to cross-dress.

"No means no Master," Allen said with a stern look, "Remember what happened _last _time?" The youth's face flushed a little every time he brought up the incident. He'd been so eager to please back then and he hadn't imagined women's clothing could be so constricting… How did they do it? He couldn't tell if wearing corsets was a talent or pure stupidity.

"Hm, right. You got far too many stares for my liking," Cross mumbled. Allen dropped his face into his hands with a groan.

"I was talking about the part where I nearly fainted on the main street because I couldn't breathe in the corset. How about you dress as the woman this time, and then we'll see if you ever ask me to do that again?"

Cross sighed in defeat; he had so been looking forward to this, too. Oh well, he knew better than to push Allen on certain matters and the danger of getting caught with Allen was more thrilling when they were both dressed as men anyway. Still, the boy would've been so precious, like a little porcelain doll.

Allen knew that Cross was attempting to guilt him with all of those sighs and disappointed looks, but he would not be fooled. Allen had his own tricks to use, and he could easily guilt Cross _out_ of this crazy idea. He was the next one to sigh, only the snowy-haired boy sounded much more forlorn than the master had.

"Master had gotten fed up with having a lover that he has to hide. He's finally starting to think it's troublesome…" Allen put his fingers to his lips and looked down with sad eyes. "Perhaps now he only likes me because I can pass for a girl still… the moment I grow up, I'll be thrown out…"

"Ah…" Oh crap. Cross knew he was being strung along but he was very drawn in by Allen's words and his performance. Of course Cross didn't think Allen was troublesome or anything like that! What if Allen really thought those things somewhere in his mind? Oh dear…

"It's not like that… Of course it's not," Cross said, pulling the hurt-looking boy to him. He knew that he was playing into Allen's hands, and so this whole thing felt a lot more foolish than it should have. Allen's eyes fluttered upward, his expression innocent though his eyes seemed to say "Do go on." Damn, this kid had Cross wrapped around his little finger and he knew it.

"I…Well, you know…" Why was it so easy to say careless things to women but so hard to say the important things to Allen? They were the same words, or at least similar, but they meant more when directed at the boy. It was hard to say and that frustrated him.

But Allen knew his master well, knew that when he couldn't find the words he wanted to say the most precious things. With a gentle smile he touched his forehead to Cross'.

"Master is so awkward," he said affectionately, and sweetly kissed him.

000

Lavi was starting to wonder why he hadn't done this before. For a while he hadn't bothered to think about the strange way Tyki had acted after those morning walks that he no longer took, but now he was suspicious again. That reaction to the topic, the even stranger reaction to the mention of the Marian manor (only strange because he'd reacted at all), the newly created suspicion that Tyki was meeting someone (possibly a lover, if the master's insinuation about Lavi's business has an indicator of anything). At first it had seemed like the only way to learn anything about what was going on would be to trail Tyki one day while he was on his daily walk. Of course that plan was scrapped when Tyki stopped going on said walks.

That didn't mean that Lavi couldn't still investigate, however. As he stood at the front desk of the local cobbler's shop (he was at this particular store for himself rather than for Tyki), he made pleasant conversation with the owner.

"Is Lord Tyki sick?" asked the cobbler; he seemed to have a friendly relationship with the master. Then again, everyone did.

"Something of that sort, yes," Lavi replied vaguely, "Um... This may seem a strange question to ask, but has my Master been doing anything out of the ordinary during the past few months? He's been coming home in strange moods for a while now, so I thought that maybe something had been happening to him on his morning walks."

The cobbler made a thoughtful expression for a moment as he thought over the question. "About how long ago did he start acting strange?" The man asked.

"About half a year ago. At first it was nothing big, he'd just be happier than usual or a bit down, just little changes. Then he suddenly decided to quit smoking and his moods changed more dramatically… Though I suppose that could've had to do with the nicotine withdrawal."

"About half a year ago…. Well, I do remember that at the time he'd made a purchase here. Nothing really out of the ordinary happened… At least not that I know of, but… Oh, but after that he suddenly started to meet with that nice Walker boy!" The cobbler's face lit up when the subject came to light. Lavi's eyes widened. Walker boy? The only person Lavi knew with that name was Allen, and granted Walker wasn't a particularly uncommon last name but even so Lavi could only think that this person was talking about Allen.

Well, it never hurt to check.

"Do you mean Allen Walker?" he asked, tilting his head to the side, "Why would my lord meet with him, I wonder…?"

"Well," The cobbler started, as though he was very much looking forward to dishing out some gossip; '_City folk_,' Lavi thought with a sigh. "You see, Mr. Walker has this penchant for trouble it seems. He's a darling thing really, so it's no surprise that he gets all sort of attention, dangerous or otherwise. Plus I've heard rumors that he was adopted right off the streets, so I imagine the rats who skulk around here are jealous of him because he's successful.

"Now that I think about it, around the time you're talking about, six months ago or so, the boy got into a spot of trouble. I think your master, God bless him, must've helped the boy out of it. After that Lord Mikk started escorting him so that the ruffians wouldn't harass him anymore." The cobbler nodded at the end of his story, thinking that this was definitely what must have happened. Lavi's eyebrows were as high up on his forehead as they could be. So had Allen been the one who was affecting Tyki for so long? Well, the redhead certainly knew the white-haired boy had that sort of ability but to think that he'd even gotten to his master!

This was a very useful find, it was. Allen tended to affect people without realizing it, so Lavi imagined that even the smallest word from him would be able to change Tyki's mood after a certain amount of time. And well, if Tyki had been meeting Allen on a nearly daily basis then they had already had an ample amount of time to become good friends, and the boy's influence would be great...

'_Well, I should do a bit more investigating to be sure…' _Lavi thought, and headed to the Marian manor.

000

"Che, asking about that Moyashi?"

"Moyashi?" Lavi gave Kanda a questioning look; he'd asked about Allen, not a moyashi, whatever that was.

"Allen. He's the Moyashi."

"Um…if you say so." Lavi scratched his cheek and decided to just dismiss it; in any case it was sort of cute that Kanda had a nickname for Allen. At least he hoped it was a nickname. Lavi wasn't sure what he would think if it was some sort of _pet name_…

"Anyway," Lavi said, shaking off those strange thoughts that he didn't really have a right to anymore (he never had in the first place). "Back to the question. Has Allen been coming home with anyone these past few months?"

Kanda gave Lavi a suspicious glance, one eyebrow raised to the question. "Why do you need to know, anyway? If it's the Moyashi's personal business then I've got no right to tell you."

"It's not about Allen so much as it is my master," Lavi said with a sigh; gosh, how many times was he going to have to explain this? "About six months ago he started acting strange. I got it from a somewhat reliable source that around that time he started hanging out with Allen. I'm just asking you this so that I can confirm whether or not it's Allen who's got my master acting so strangely."

Kanda regarded him for a moment with a searching look, as though he were trying to find deceit in Lavi's face. He found none, and sighed before giving up the information he knew.

"Allen has been coming home with someone about once or twice a week for a few months now. He usually arrives in a coach, so I don't know who he is with, I just know that he's with someone because he says goodbye to whoever is in the coach with him. Whether or not it's your master with him, I've no idea."

So Allen had been coming home from time to time with someone who may or may not have been Lavi's master. It wasn't an everyday occurrence though, so perhaps Allen was meeting with someone different? But the person who had been described to Lavi had definitely been Allen. So then perhaps Allen was only taking Tyki partway home with him on most days. Maybe the boy didn't want anyone to see who he was riding with? But in that case, why?

Lavi had a sneaking suspicion that Allen's master had something to do with it.

"I…see…"

"You seem to be thinking a lot deeper on this than necessary," Kanda said, his expression rather blank except for the hint of curiosity that lit his eyes. "What are you thinking of?"

"It's just… Well if my master has been meeting Allen on a daily basis and the kid really is the cause of his strange behavior… Why didn't he tell me about it? He knows Allen and I are friends. And it seems as though Allen was trying not to let you see the person he was with. But… Why?"

Kanda did not have to think for very long to come to an answer about _that_ matter. It was no small secret that Lord Marian was rather strict with Allen as far as who he was to associate with. And Kanda, ever observant to the point where he really wished he wasn't at all, knew that the issue ran quite a bit deeper than that. However, it certainly wasn't his business to go flaunting around, so he was going to keep his mouth shut about Allen and the master's dirty laundry. He'd just have to cut out some of the truth.

"Lord Marian…" Kanda muttered, catching Lavi's attention before continuing on in a louder tone, "He's very strict with Allen. I imagine that the only time the master doesn't have control over the kid is when he's out in the mornings so… If he were to be meeting anyone whom Lord Cross would not want him to see then I suppose he would try to hide it."

Lavi raised an eyebrow. It seemed he wasn't the only one who was thinking on these things. He was also pretty sure he'd never heard Kanda say so much at once since they were children. Well, he'd known for a while that Cross was strict with Allen but for Kanda to go so far as to say that the mornings were the only time the boy wasn't under his control was a bit much, wasn't it? And if that was no exaggeration then why on earth did Allen put up with it?

"Huh… Well in any case, I think we're getting a bit too into Allen's personal life with this talk. I guess if Tyki wants to meet Allen when he goes on walks then that's his business. Just sort of wish he'd have told me so that I wouldn't have worried so much." Lavi sighed and shook his head. Well, he could think on the real reason why Tyki was acting strange later; at the moment at least he knew what the cause of it was.

000

Allen really hated the morning after, especially when he hadn't been involved in the night before. It was the same routine every time, except for today he was going to have to try to rush a proud woman out of the summer home in Italian. Thankfully he was fairly fluent in the language.

She was in a guest room that was connected to the master's. He never did anything with women in his own room; it had something to do with keeping his sheets clean. Allen was the only one who was ever allowed to be with him in there; that was one of the few things that stopped the boy from succumbing to jealousy. The fact that the master never stayed in the room with the woman was also another one of those points that made it easier to cope.

"_Miss, Miss, it is morning,"_ he said with a voice that hopefully sounded calm and unconcerned. He didn't want to sound as though he was looking down on the woman because she was a shameless hussy who had been easily used as entertainment for a night. He tried to save such judgments for after they had woken up and left. It was the prissy ones who didn't leave without a fuss that he usually felt were that type.

Apparently this woman was that type.

She openly glared at him as he motioned to her clothes -hung neatly on a hanger near the changing screen- and asked her as politely as he could to please be quick about leaving for the master did not like waking up to company. He said "company" because it sounded a lot better than calling her a bed warmer.

"_Don't you look down on me, brat,"_ she muttered venomously as she changed, _"You are just a dirty servant so you've hardly a right to criticize me."_

"_I would never dream of looking down on you Miss, I apologize if I gave off such an air." _As a matter of fact he'd been thinking very lowly of her. After all, he may just be a lowly servant but he was the only one allowed to sleep in his master's bed, to stay until morning, to come back again, to accompany the master everywhere. He was definitely higher up than this careless girl who'd been sucked in and used by Cross. He was constant and he was close, two things a woman like this could never be to his master.

"_Right, I'm sure you think horrible things of all the women who you push out in the mornings. You must think you're so much better than us all."_ The woman walked out from behind the changing screen.

"_But of course not, Miss. Whatever gave you that idea?" _

She narrowed her eyes at him. _"You're name is Allen, isn't it?" _

Allen widened his eyes a bit in surprise; he didn't recall being introduced to her. _"Um, yes it is."_

The woman shook her head in annoyance. _"I can't believe it,"_ was all she said, and she was walking out the front door in the next few minutes.

"I don't get it."

000

The social season in London was nearly over, there was less than one month left to trudge through. Tyki knew that during this season he was expected to attend many more gatherings than was normal for him, so he tried to find a happy medium between his usual and the number of outings expected of him. There were plenty of other expectations that came with the social season, but most of them were easy enough to fulfill if he just showed up in the first place.

"Milord, the mail for today…" Lavi sighed as he motioned toward the sizable stack of letters on far corner of Tyki's desk. Because the season was coming to a close, everyone was rushing to get out the invitations to their last balls. The majority of them were used as fire kindling in the winter.

The young master groaned as he reached for the pile, flipping through them one-by-one in order to eliminate the invitations he knew he would deny. What on earth was so wonderful about those stuffy balls anyway? The hosts threw away buckets of money and the entertainment was so plain most of the time, either that or it was much too ritzy for his liking. He remembered the days when he used to travel from place to place before he'd been taken back into the nobility; the parties he'd crashed back then were much more exciting than the ones he was invited to now. He was sure they had cost much less to organize, too.

Faintly Tyki thought that Cross had the right idea, leaving the country for the better part of this season. It was just a shame that he'd brought Allen with him. Oh well, Tyki would live, really.

"So these are the accepted invitations?" There were all of three of them, which was quite a few for Tyki. Lavi almost felt bad for the man, but there was nothing to be done for it.

"Yes, they are. Please make the proper arrangements for me to attend," Tyki nodded kindly with a small apologetic smile; he knew it was the rejected pile that was going to be the real problem. Lavi nodded, giving no hint to the fact that he was getting a headache just looking at the stack of invitations that were to be kindly turned down.

"Ah… I need to get out of here," Tyki sighed out and sunk back into his office chair; it was high quality leather and ridiculously comfortable but it did nothing for him when all he wanted to was to get up and move. "Maybe a walk…. Can't stay inside forever." It was about time he got back to being normal anyway. Besides, if he started back on his old routine the moment Allen came back to England, how suspicious would that be? Little did he know that such precautions had already been rendered pointless.

"Oh, you want to go out today?" Lavi asked with surprise; to his understanding Allen was not due back until the end of August. Perhaps his theories about his master and the younger boy were wrong? If Allen wasn't the reason he'd stopped going out then Lavi had a lot more investigating to do.

"Yes, I think I shall. You usually go out about this time also, care to join me?" Lavi gave the matter a little consideration before nodding in acceptance. Before Lavi had stayed home to get the manor running properly in the mornings when Tyki went out, but if Tyki wanted company then it was Lavi's job to comply. Besides, everyone knew what they should be doing.

It was a nice little surprise to Tyki when he found that going out wasn't as bad as he remembered it being. That was partly to do with the fact that Lavi made for wonderful company, and partly because Tyki really disliked staying close to home all of the time and being out again was refreshing. Lavi seemed relieved too, perhaps because Tyki was getting back to normal? He imagined he wasn't a very reliable master if he was making the redhead worry so much.

"Hello Lord Tyki! It's been so long, we feared you'd been sick!" The woman who ran the store he usually bought his cigarettes from was a bit big, she was the kind of woman who everyone knew could take care of herself no matter where she was. Her motherly demeanor went against her projected image though. Tyki sort of wondered why a woman like her was selling packaged cancer, but didn't question it.

"So sorry to have made you worry, Madam." One apologetic grin and playful bow later and the woman was sure he wasn't lying. This is what Tyki spent a good portion of his morning doing variations of. It was touching to see how many people had worried about him. It was almost enough to make him feel a bit guilty over it, too, but not quite enough to actually get the job done.

"Why did you stop going out, anyway?" Lavi asked, figuring that since Tyki was finally getting back to normal it would be alright to ask. Tyki looked thoughtful for a moment as he considered how to answer.

"The thing I wanted was gone," he replied vaguely with a shrug; it wasn't like Lavi would have any idea what he was talking about anyway.

Only he did.

000

It was mid-August when Komui had called Cross in Venice. Apparently someone had broken into the armory on the manor grounds. And they hadn't broken into the one that everyone knew about, either. No, no, they'd broken into the one that only a handful of servants knew about and even fewer knew how to enter. Cross' family had been making and selling the highest quality weapons for generations, and they specialized in intricately crafted handguns. Needless to say Cross had grown quite fond of the things and kept a well-maintained collection of them. The fact that one had been stolen from Cross' personal armory was bad enough, but Komui just knew someone was going to get shot when he found out which gun had been stolen.

And of course, Komui also knew that was going to be the first question the master asked.

"Which one was it?" Cross all but growled into the receiver. He could hardly believe this! Couldn't he even go on vacation without something coming up? He was sincerely hoping this was some sort of prank on Komui's part, but he knew that the Chinese man wouldn't pull something like that.

"Ah… Well, I can't really be sure…" Komui really did not want to be the bearer of bad news, but he was doing a very bad job at sounding unsure.

"_Which. One_."

Komui took a deep breath as he prepared for the explosion that was sure to come. "Judgment."

Cross had nearly crushed the telephone in his hand when he heard this. That was his most precious possession. It was the first gun he had designed and hand-crafted for himself by himself and some idiot had the gall to steal it?

'_Oh so help me God I will shoot everyone in London if that's what it takes to get it back.' _

Cross tried to control his rage long enough to reply to Komui calmly; he could feel the younger man's tension over the phone. He was also doing his best not to destroy anything just yet.

"I'm coming back," he ground out angrily, _"Now."_

000

Kanda could recognize that mop of messy red hair from a mile away, but the person walking beside him was another story. He put on a half-hearted scowl as the grinning idiot came within earshot of him, waving happily in Yuu's general direction. The person beside him looked much calmer, sort of like he was just enjoying the walk and didn't really care about where he was going.

"Mornin' Yuu!"

"Tch. So it wasn't enough to have just one person bothering me while I'm working, huh? Needed to bring a friend along, too?" Lavi laughed off the question; he'd expected something like that from Kanda. The raven-haired man had always been put off by the fact that they met while he was on the clock, so it was no surprise that he wasn't thrilled to see there were two distractions coming his way that day instead of one.

"Aha, this is actually my master, Lord Tyki," Lavi said with a little motion toward the older man. Tyki almost thought it was odd that Lavi didn't seem the least bit embarrassed or annoyed by being spoken to like that in front of his employer, but then remembered that was just one of the redhead's quirks. Tyki politely tipped his hat and said a fair hello. Kanda inclined his head respectfully and apologized for being rude. Tyki could tell that despite the sincere words, this person did not easily acknowledge people and the older man would have to do some work to get any real respect from him.

"I think I remember you, vaguely," Tyki said once the three entered into what was turning into a half-decent conversation. "A long while back you visited Lavi at my townhouse, or am I wrong?"

Kanda shrugged, "Perhaps. I used to go there often." Tyki knew better than to ask why that had stopped. From there the conversation actually went somewhere, though the Asian boy didn't say much. Tyki just figured that was Kanda's way and didn't question it. He always did answer Lavi though, and while neither said anything he could tell that they had a _thing_ going on. What kind of thing he didn't know, he wasn't even sure _they_ knew, but he knew it was there. It was almost sort to cute, like watching two kids with their first crush in the schoolyard together.

All was well until the guard suddenly tensed. "You two, get out of here now."

"Huh?" Lavi tilted his head to the side with a curious expression. "Why?"

"Someone is coming up the drive and you two are not supposed to be here," Kanda answered; slacking on the job was not acceptable. The last thing he needed was someone coming here and thinking the security was lax. People did stupid things when they thought they could get away with it. Even worse, someone had already done something stupid and while Kanda was unsure of what had actually happened, he knew he would lose his job if he was caught slacking off now of all times.

Luckily both Lavi and Tyki understood that it was Kanda's job they were carelessly endangering and quickly got out of the area. But of course they were curious, so they chose to hide where they could see what was going on.

A carriage pulled to a stop in front of the gate and Kanda went to open the door. The two observers were both surprised to see Allen descend from the cab, followed by his master. Cross did not seem to be in the best of moods, and the snow-haired boy was clearly worried because of this.

"Please watch your step master, you're going to hurt yourself rushing around like this," Allen said as Cross stormed on through the gates to his home. Kanda's brows furrowed when he saw his master's furious expression. He'd heard that something had been stolen and had been told to keep a keen eye out for anyone who was acting strange, but he didn't know that the situation was serious enough for Cross to come home. If it was that bad, then someone had really messed up and he hoped to God he hadn't been the one to make a mistake.

"Oh, I'm not the one who's going to be hurt," the master muttered, but tried to calm down nonetheless. It would do him no good to look so undone in front of his servants. Besides Allen looked so worried, he didn't want to be the cause of his deep concern.

"Master…" Allen placed a soothing hand on Cross' arm; the action was platonic enough to be easily dismissed by those watching. "We'll find it, okay? So please don't worry so much."

As the scene went on before them, Lavi and Tyki watched from around a far corner. They couldn't hear what was going on, they could only see that Lord Marian was not in an amicable mood and that Allen was worried. Lavi noticed something more than just the master and butler's interaction though. He also noticed the incredible aura of jealousy coming from behind him. He was sure that if he turned around he'd find himself staring at the green-eyed monster. Goodness, how could Allen not feel that?

Still, that confirmed one thing for Lavi; what Tyki wanted was definitely Allen.

**Ah… And so the cat's out of the bag, or at least half-way there. How will Lavi handle this situation? Will he run interference or cheer Tyki on? How will Allen react next time he sees Tyki? Oh joy, there's plot!**


End file.
